LAS VEGAS, Aug. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In its
August 15 Emissions Reduction and
Capacity Replacement second amendment filing, NV Energy requested
that the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada approve a new 100-megawatt solar
project in Boulder City, Nevada
and an earlier retirement date for the remaining 257-megawatt unit
at the Reid Gardner Generating Station. The proposal asks to
move the original December 31, 2017,
retirement date to February 28,
2017.
NV Energy noted that the filing is its next step in the
transformation of NV Energy's fuel mix, moving to a cleaner, more
balanced generation portfolio. This request aligns with the
Nevada legislature's 2013
directive in Senate Bill 123 for a structured and orderly
retirement of coal-fired generation in southern Nevada and replacing that generation with
renewable energy and natural gas-fueled resources. The company
retired the first three generating units at Reid Gardner at the end
of 2014 and is also exiting its participation in Arizona's Navajo Generating Station by the end
of 2019.
The new solar energy project is the result of a Request for
Proposals that was issued earlier this year. With the oversight of
an independent evaluator, NV Energy signed a 25-year power purchase
agreement with Techren Solar LLC to build a 100-megawatt
high-efficiency single-axis solar photovoltaic project in Eldorado
Valley. The project is in the development phase and, subject to
regulatory approval, is expected to be operational in the fourth
quarter of 2018.
NV Energy's Senior Vice President of Energy Supply Kevin Geraghty noted that the selection criteria
for the new solar project was primarily based on the best value to
NV Energy customers, but also factored in economic and job benefits
to Nevada.
"At an average cost of energy for the life of the project at
approximately four cents per
kilowatt-hour, this is one of the lowest-cost solar projects in the
nation. And, we are very pleased with the fact that Techren
has already signed a work-site agreement with local unions 357 and
396 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers,"
Geraghty said.
NV Energy has requested that the Public Utilities Commission of
Nevada make a decision on the
filing by the end of 2016.
Most NV Energy customers are not aware that they already are
benefitting from more than 40 solar, geothermal, wind, hydro and
other renewable energy technologies being produced in Nevada.
More than 300 megawatts of new solar energy is in the construction
stage, and this new 100-megawatt Techren Solar project would bring
NV Energy's total renewable energy portfolio to more than 1,900
megawatts. If all were producing at the same time, that would
be enough energy to serve more than a million average homes.
About NV Energy, Inc.
NV Energy, Inc., provides a wide range of energy services to 1.3
million customers throughout Nevada and more than 40 million tourists
annually. NV Energy is a holding company whose principal
subsidiaries, Nevada Power Company and Sierra Pacific Power
Company, do business as NV Energy. NV Energy is headquartered in
Las Vegas, Nevada. Information
about NV Energy is available on the company's website, Twitter,
Facebook and YouTube pages, which can be accessed via
nvenergy.com.
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SOURCE NV Energy