NV Energy Takes Final Unit of Reid Gardner Generating Station Offline

LAS VEGAS, March 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NV Energy today announced that the fourth and final 257-megawatt unit of its coal-fired Reid Gardner Generating Station will no longer provide energy to the southern Nevada electric grid. The full closure of the facility was completed nine months ahead of schedule and represents a significant step in achieving a less carbon intense energy future consistent with the policy objectives of Nevada.

"We are proud to be moving our state toward a more balanced and less carbon intense generation portfolio through coal-generation retirement and renewable energy development while keeping prices low for our customers," said Starla Lacy, Vice President of Environmental Services. "The renewable energy capacity NV Energy has secured for customers has seven times the capacity of the generating unit that was taken off the grid today."

NV Energy and Nevada saw a 44 percent reduction in carbon emissions from 2005 to 2015. Currently, NV Energy customers are served by more than 1,900 megawatts of renewable resources in Nevada including 19 geothermal energy resources, 14 solar energy facilities, six hydro plants, one large wind farm and a variety of biomass, methane and other renewable energy projects.

In 2013, NV Energy, along with other stakeholders, supported legislation that retires or eliminates 812 megawatts of coal-fueled generation serving southern Nevada by 2019 and replaces that capacity with renewable energy and natural gas resources.  NV Energy retired Reid Gardner's first three 100-megawatt coal-fired units at the end of 2014. The company will eliminate its generation from the coal-fired Navajo Generating Station by December 2019.

The Reid Gardner Generating Station is located north of Las Vegas and initially began serving NV Energy customers in 1965.  During its peak operation time, the plant could provide enough power to serve nearly 335,000 Nevada households.  Approximately 40 employees currently work at the plant, and no jobs will be lost due to the closure of the facility. A number of these employees will go to work at other NV Energy facilities and the rest will remain at Reid Gardner to support the ongoing decommissioning, plant dismantlement and environmental remediation efforts.

NV Energy, Inc., provides a wide range of energy services to 1.3 million customers throughout Nevada and more than 40 million tourists annually. NV Energy 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.

SOURCE NV Energy

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