By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent
NV Energy, Nevada’s largest utility, unveiled plans to add more than 1 GW of solar power and at least 100 MW of battery storage in its latest Integrated Resources Plan (IRP), filed today with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN).
The new projects will be evenly distributed throughout the state, with three new plants located in the north and three located in the south, pending the plan’s approval by the PUCN.
“The six new projects position NV Energy to keep its commitment to double renewable energy by 2023 and, importantly, by diversifying our state’s electricity generation portfolio, will reduce the costs to serve customers,” said Paul Caudill, NV Energy’s CEO. “These projects also represent a step forward in the company’s long-term goal of serving Nevada customers with 100 percent renewable energy.”
NV Energy’s filing with the PUCN represents the first time the utility has included energy storage in a filing, representing a significant shift in thinking for NV Energy and is reflective of a tectonic shift going on throughout the industry. More public utility regulators, in California and New Mexico, for example, are requiring utilities to include energy storage in the IRPs.
100 MW/400 MWh of storage, given the enormous amount of solar that is being added, seems like a modest goal, and it’s logical to assume that number will increase as installations proceed. The plan as outlined in the company’s release appears to be a classic “underpromise/overdeliver” scenario.
All the projects are expected to be completed and operational by 2021. NV Energy plans to employ more than 1,700 construction workers, including union craftsman per a stipulation in the IRP. Approximately 80 new long-term, permanent jobs will be created.
A 300 MW project on tribal land is largest single project in the new portfolio. The partnership between 8minutenergy Renewables, NV Energy and Moapa Band of Paiutes will be built on the Moapa River Indian Reservation about 30 miles north of Las Vegas.
