Nevada Power Company
| Company type | Subsidiary (until 2005) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electric utility |
| Founded | March 20, 1906 in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
| Fate | Rebranded as NV Energy in 2005 |
| Headquarters | Las Vegas , United States |
Area served | Southern Nevada |
| Products | Electricity |
| Parent | Sierra Pacific Resources (from 1998 until 2005) |
Nevada Power Company (NPC) was an electricity provider based in Las Vegas, delivering power to southern Nevada. By 2005, it served more than 700,000 customers across an area exceeding 4,000 square miles within three counties. In 1998, Nevada Power combined operations with Sierra Pacific Resources, a utility serving northern Nevada, and functioned as a subsidiary until the 2005 rebranding under the name NV Energy.
History
Established on March 20, 1906, initially as Consolidated Power and Telephone, the company underwent a division in 1929 resulting in Southern Nevada Power and Southern Nevada Telephone Company (the latter was eventually acquired by Centel and is now part of CenturyLink). Southern Nevada Power was among the earliest recipients of electricity from Hoover Dam in 1937. During the rapid growth of Las Vegas in the 1950s, the company constructed steam turbines to satisfy increasing energy demands. After acquiring the Elko-Lamoille Power Company, it adopted the name Nevada Power in 1961 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange the following year.
The merger with Sierra Pacific Resources in 1999 kept Sierra Pacific’s corporate name but relocated the headquarters to Las Vegas. Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Nevada Power postponed new generation facility projects amid deregulation initiatives but reversed this approach following the 2001 energy crisis by expanding its own generation capabilities.
In 2003, Nevada Power installed two of the largest phase shifting transformers globally at its Crystal switching station to better control imported electricity flows. In October 2004, it purchased a partially completed 1,200 MW power plant from Duke Energy North America. By June 2005, it announced intentions to acquire a 75% interest in a 570 MW facility from Pinnacle West Capital Corporation, with Southern Nevada Water Authority retaining the remaining 25%.
Plans were made in January 2006 to decommission three units at Clark Station totaling 175 MW. On September 22, 2008, the company consolidated its branding under NV Energy.
In 2013, Berkshire Hathaway’s MidAmerican Energy (now Berkshire Hathaway Energy) declared its plan to acquire NV Energy, expanding its customer base by over one million to reach 8.4 million customers worldwide and increasing assets to $66 billion. This transaction was anticipated to finalize in early 2014 after receiving regulatory and shareholder approvals.
Power plants
Originally, the company generated all its electricity but shifted to purchasing power from external sources starting in 1914. However, by the 1950s it resumed operating its own power plants to cover part of its base load requirements.
- Current facilities include:
- Base load plants
- Fully owned
- Harry Allen Generating Station: A natural gas-fired unit producing 144 megawatts; a 100 kW solar photovoltaic system was added in 2006. Additionally, a combined-cycle natural gas plant with a capacity of 484 MW is under construction.
- Edward W. Clark Generating Station: Comprises ten units totaling 1,084 MW; units 1 through 3 were slated for retirement as announced in 2005. The facility began operations in 1956 as a modest 32 MW plant; it also incorporated a high concentrating solar photovoltaic system rated at 75 kW in 2006.
- Chuck Lenzie: Consists of four natural gas-fired units north of Las Vegas generating a total of 1,102 MW.
- Walter M. Higgins Generating Station: A peaking plant near Primm, Nevada, fueled by natural gas with a capacity of 530 MW.
- Partially owned
- Mohave Power Station: A coal-fired plant producing 1,580 MW with Nevada Power’s share being 222 MW; operations ceased on December 31, 2005, and dismantling started in 2009.
- Silverhawk Power Station: Located north of Las Vegas, this natural gas-fired plant has a capacity of 520 MW; ownership is shared between Nevada Power and Southern Nevada Water Authority (which holds a 25% stake).
- Reid Gardner Generating Station: A coal-fired facility near Moapa, Nevada generating 557 MW; Nevada Power owns approximately 31%, partnered with the California Department of Water Resources.
- Fully owned
- Peaking facilities
- Harry Allen: An expansion adding an additional 80 MW is planned.
- Sunrise/Sun Peak: A natural gas-fired peaking station with a capacity of 150 MW located in Las Vegas.
- Base load plants
- Additional sources
- Hoover Dam provides roughly 355 MW to Nevada Power; however, most of its generated electricity is distributed to California and Arizona.
Power transmission
The generating facilities operated by Nevada Power, combined with substantial power imports, require transmission networks that support both customer consumption and inter-company electricity exchanges.
- Key components:
- 500 kV transmission lines
- Mead and Crystal Substations
Regional transmission organizations
Nevada Power is a member of the regional transmission entity RTO West (previously known as "Grid West"), which enables collaborative management of the electrical grid throughout the western United States.