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  • History:

In August of 1945, the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) laid out the service area boundaries of Southwest Public Power District including Dundy, Chase, Hayes, Hitchcock and a small part of Red Willow counties. The average cost of building one mile of line in 1948 was $825; today the average cost is $15,000.

Southwest provided electricity to electrify town and rural residential services until the mid-1970s when Southwest experienced the irrigation boom. Southwest was the first power district in the United States to implement a load-control management system during the irrigation season, controlling peak loads and keeping rates low.

Today, Southwest has committed itself to providing safe, low-cost, reliable energy and other services to meet customers' needs, now and in the future.