NV Energy’s Plan to Spend $573 Million on Methane Gas-Burning Power is Bad for Nevadans

As if sky-high electricity bills weren’t enough, NV Energy is once again pushing plans to spend $573 million in new methane (natural) gas-burning power plants that will keep Nevada tied to costly and polluting fossil fuels for decades. NV Energy’s latest proposal can be found in the utility’s 2024 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). 

Methane gas power plants are a bad deal for Nevada, and NV Energy’s proposal is no exception. Now is the time to tell the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN), the regulating entity charged with keeping NV Energy in check, to reject these unnecessary fossil fuel investments and support cost-saving clean energy solutions instead. You can sign a petition y submit written comments saying so!

What’s an Integrated Resource Plan?

An IRP is a blueprint for how Nevada’s electricity needs will be met in the future. The PUCN is currently reviewing NV Energy’s 2024 IRP, which will influence the state’s energy mix and directly impact your electricity bills.

The types and levels of investments identified in the IRP have major consequences. IRP projects determine how much of our power comes from either clean or polluting sources. The costs for these projects are later paid back to the utility with interest through adjusted rates, impacting customers’ bills. Because of this, it’s critical that the plans be as clean, reliable, and cost-effective as possible.

Methane Gas is Costing Nevadans

One of the worst parts of NV Energy’s IRP is the plan to build 400 megawatts of new gas-fired power at a cost of $573 million to Northern Nevadans. This comes on the heels of the utility’s recent approval for two new gas-fired plants — the Silverhawk peaker plant and the North Valmy coal-to-gas conversion project. If this proposal goes forward, NV Energy will have spent over $1.1 billion on gas plants, benefiting shareholders at the expense of customers.

NV Energy’s overreliance on methane gas is a major reason for spikes in our electricity bills in recent years. Methane gas prices are often unpredictable, driven by world events, geopolitics, and extreme weather, which can cause sharp and sudden increases in costs. Not including these new gas plants, NV Energy already produces more than half of its electricity from methane gas. By continuing to depend so heavily on this fossil fuel, NV Energy is exposing us — the customers, not shareholders — to ongoing rate shocks. Instead of moving toward more reliable, stable, and affordable energy sources, they’re doubling down on a system that makes Nevadans vulnerable to price swings.

Good Value Investments that Benefit All Nevadans

It doesn’t have to be this way. NV Energy should be making smart investments at the lowest costs to customers. The monopoly utility could save customers money and avoid overbuilding by prioritizing energy efficiency and demand management programs. And, when new energy generation is needed, the utility must look toward Nevada’s abundant solar resources, growing battery storage capabilities, and geothermal potential. Building new gas-fired power plants, which will lock us into fossil fuel use for another 30+ years, is not only financially irresponsible but also incompatible with Nevada’s clean energy goals.

Here’s How You Can Help

There’s one very quick and easy thing all Nevadans can do. Sign this petition and tell NV Energy — No More Methane Gas Power Plants! 

But you can do more. Whether you are mad at NV Energy for high electricity bills, a proponent of clean energy, or worried about the effects of methane gas on our climate and public health, you can file written comments with the PUCN by October 31, 2024. This is your chance to demand that NV Energy’s 2024 IRP benefits all Nevadans, not just NV Energy’s corporate investors.

Below, are two examples of written comments to get you started, but the more you can customize and insert how NV Energy’s decisions impact you, the better.