Nevada state lawmakers have given the green light for the Greenlink project to step up efforts to build the largest high voltage transmission line project in Nevada’s history. This project under NV Energy will position the state as a major exporter of clean energy. It will require approximately 580 miles of 525 kV lines that will connect Las Vegas and Reno with new solar fields and geothermal systems. This includes building a substation southeast of Reno in Yerington and a 525 kV line into town that connects to solar fields in the Amargosa Valley 300 miles south. Construction work is expected to begin in 2024 and be completed in 2026.
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NV Energy estimates that building the unionized project will ultimately generate US$ 690 million in economic activity and provide nearly 4,000 jobs. An International Brotherhood of Workers Shipping official will be stepping up work “nationwide with the current focus on infrastructure, but Greenlink Nevada project should have no staffing concerns as developments are more advanced. With more than 90% of Greenlink Nevada passing through states, regulators should have an overview of the implications of developing power generation assets alongside Greenlink Nevada’s transmission lines.
“This is an ambitious schedule for approval and construction. Nevada, there is broad support for this important project,” said Carolyn Barbash, vice president of transmission policy and development for NV Energy. “NV Energy has a great track record,” she added, noting that Nevada electricity prices are lower today than in 2009, despite the expansion of the grid and capacity and the shutdown of coal-fired power plants. “There is very little where I can imagine that they cost less today than they did 10 years ago.”
