(KLZA)--Nebraska Public Power District- Cooper Nuclear Station, located near Brownville is celebrating 50 years of generating reliable energy for Nebraska, since first coming on-line July 1, 1974.

Nebraska- longest and only current operating nuclear power plant, has a capacity of roughly 800 Megawatts, and over the past five decades, Cooper Nuclear Station has generated approximately 275 million Megawatt-hours of carbon-free electricity.

Throughout the past two years, NPPD has provided Nebraska customers with approximately 56% carbon-free energy, with 42% of the carbon-free generation coming from Cooper.

NPPD President and CEO Tom Kent said the Cooper plant employs more than 600 people and is a tremendous economic driver for southeast Nebraska.

The Cooper plant cost $313 million when built and involved moving more than 760,000 cubic yards of dirt, pouring more than 90,000 cubic yards of concrete, and utilizing more than 10,000 tons of steel.

The Cooper Nuclear Station was named after Humboldt natives, Guy Cooper Sr. and Guy Cooper Jr.

O. A. Cooper, built the first electrical plant in Humboldt in 1890. The two Guy Coopers served a total of 27 years on the board of NPPD and its predecessor agency, Consumers Public Power District.

The Cooper family was a pioneer Nebraska family, active in civic, business, and electrifying the state, dating back to 1868, noted Kent.

Though Guy Cooper Sr. did not live to see the construction of Cooper Nuclear Station, Guy Jr. served on NPPD- Board when the station began commercial operation.

The Cooper plant previously received a license renewal from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in November 2010 to operate the plant until January 2034. NPPD- Board voted during February- meeting to pursue the relicensing of Cooper Nuclear Station for another 20 years, which would allow the plant to operate until 2054.