Las Vegas-based NV Energy's Integrated Resource Plan for the company's southern territory has been approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN). The plan outlines a number of energy efficiency, transmission and renewable energy initiatives, including Advanced Service Delivery, the One Nevada Line transmission project and seven renewable purchase power agreements.
The approvals include SolarReserve's 100 MW contract with NV Energy. In December 2009, SolarReserve's wholly owned subsidiary, Tonopah Solar Energy LLC, and NV Energy signed a 25-year power purchase agreement for the sale of electricity from the Crescent Dunes project, a solar energy project located near the town of Tonopah, in Nye County, Nev.
According to documents presented to the PUCN, NV Energy cited SolarReserve's storage technology as a key reason to recommend moving forward on the Crescent Dunes project, SolarReserve says. Utilizing a molten salt system technology, the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project has the ability to store 10 hours of solar energy.
SolarReserve expects to receive environmental approvals by the end of this year and says it will create as many as 450 construction jobs for Nevada during the two-year construction period.Â
SOURCES: NV Energy, SolarReserve
