US power company NV Energy has filed for permission to develop 816MW of combined solar and storage capacity in Nevada, with the state’s Public Utilities Commission.
The three projects, all in Clark County, are part of NV Energy’s Integrated Resource Plan filing, total 478MW of new photovoltaic generation and 338MW of battery storage.
The projects will create more than 700 temporary jobs and NV Energy expects them to be completed and serving customers by the end of 2023.
Dry Lake is a 150MW photovoltaic project with a 100MW four-hour battery storage system.
The project will be located north-east of Las Vegas in a designated solar energy zone on land leased from the Bureau of Land Management. It will be developed by NV Energy.
Boulder Solar 3 comprises a 128MW PV array and a 58MW four-hour battery, located in Eldorado Valley, south of Boulder City.
174 PowerGlobal and KOMIPO America are developing the project.
Chuckwalla is a 200MW PV plant coupled with a 180MW four-hour battery, located north-east of Las Vegas within the Moapa River Indian Reservation.
EDF Renewables North America is developing the project.
As part of its IRP filing with the PUC Nevada (PUCN), NV Energy is also seeking permission for a transmission line project that will integrate renewables in the state into the grid.
The energy company anticipates a decision by year-end and will kick-off construction soon after.
The Greenlink Nevada project is comprised of two transmission line segments that, once completed, will allow access to and future development of Nevada’s renewable energy resources.
The line will also increase electric reliability for Nevadans and will “position Nevada as an energy leader” in the western US, said NV Energy.
Construction of the project will take 11 years and will be completed in 2031.
The transmission initiative aligns with NV Energy’s plan to support Nevada’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
If it goes ahead Greenlink Nevada will immediately start to generate an estimated $781m in economic activity and support more than 4000 jobs during its construction.
NV Energy president and chief executive Doug Cannon said: “Greenlink Nevada is essential to unlocking Nevada’s clean energy potential and meeting Nevada’s renewable and decarbonisation goals by providing access to new instate solar and geothermal resources and creating opportunities to maximize renewable resource opportunities across the west.
“Nevada’s recently enhanced renewable portfolio standard calls for 50% of energy utilised in Nevada to come from renewable energy resources, and these transmission lines are timed in order to meet this mandate and to make significant advancements to meet the state’s 2050 carbon reduction objectives.”
Greenlink North, the first major segment, will be a 525kV line that spans from Ely to Yerington. Greenlink West, the second major segment, will be a 525kV line from Las Vegas to Yerington.
Greenlink Nevada will also include three 345kV lines from Yerington to the Reno and Innovation Park areas to support new economic development.