Nevada’s Public Utilities Commission has approved a plan to build 478MW solar and 338MW storage

Nevada — The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) approved a stipulation agreement between NV Energy, the Regulatory Operations Staff of the PUCN, Bureau of Consumer Protection and other stakeholders that approves a portion of the company’s integrated resource plan (IRP) amendment and brings the benefits of three new large-scale solar plus energy storage projects.

These projects will be built in southern Nevada and total 478 megawatts of new solar photovoltaic generation and 338 megawatts of energy storage. All three projects are expected to be serving customers by the end of 2023.

“These new solar plus storage projects are the latest of twelve such projects we’ve brought forward since 2018, and demonstrate NV Energy’s ongoing commitment to advance renewable energy development and reduce carbon emissions while keeping customer rates low and stable,” said Doug Cannon, NV Energy President and Chief Executive Officer. “These projects will not only power our customers’ homes and businesses with clean energy, they will create jobs and contribute to Nevada’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

With this approval, NV Energy has also achieved the ambitious 1,000-megawatt storage target set in regulation. By using the new battery systems, NV Energy can store low-cost solar energy during the day then deliver it to its customers during the evening, bringing NV Energy closer to meeting its long-term goal to serve customers with 100 percent renewable energy.

The newly approved projects bring NV Energy’s current portfolio to 56 geothermal, solar, hydro, wind, and biomass projects both in service and under development, including 2,669 megawatts of new solar generation and 1,028 megawatts of battery energy storage.

Dry Lake Solar Project – 150-megawatt solar photovoltaic project with a 100 megawatt, four-hour battery storage system. The project will be located in Clark County, NV, 20 miles northeast of Las Vegas in a designated Solar Energy Zone on land leased from the Bureau of Land Management. It is being developed by NV Energy and will become its third and largest company-owned renewable project.

Boulder Solar III – 128-megawatt solar array that includes a 58 megawatt, four-hour battery storage system. The project will be built in Clark County, NV in the Eldorado Valley south of Boulder City. It is being developed by 174 PowerGlobal and KOMIPO America Inc., who have vast experience developing over 550 megawatts of utility-scale solar generation plants in the Eldorado Valley. 174 PowerGlobal’s solar energy and battery storage project pipelines in North America exceeds 10 gigawatts, including 2 gigawatts contracted and another 1.5 gigawatts in operation.

Chuckwalla Solar Project – 200-megawatt solar photovoltaic array coupled with a 180 megawatt, four-hour battery storage system. The project will be located in Clark County, NV 25 miles northeast of Las Vegas within the Moapa River Indian Reservation. It is being developed by EDF Renewables North America, a market-leading independent power producer and service provider with 35 years of expertise in renewable energy. EDF Renewables’ North American portfolio consists of 16 gigawatts of developed projects and 11 gigawatts under service contracts.

The decision also provides conditional approval of the Mojave High School Solar Project, the first project in the Expanded Solar Access Program, which was established by Assembly Bill 465 during the 2018 Nevada Legislative Session.

The PUCN continues to review the company’s proposal for Greenlink Nevada and a decision is expected in early 2021.

NV Energy provides a wide range of energy services to more than 1.4 million customers throughout Nevada and more than 54 million tourists annually. NV Energy, Inc. 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.