NV Energy agrees to deal with wind farm

Local power utility NV Energy has agreed to a 20-year deal to buy electricity from a wind farm planned near Ely.

Pattern Energy Group of San Francisco will build the 150-megawatt Spring Valley Wind Project, which would be Nevada’s first major, utility-scale wind plant.

NV Energy already has announced plans to codevelop with RES Americas the 200-megawatt China Mountain Wind Project near the Idaho border, but that project is still in the environmental-impact statement permitting process.

The Spring Valley project is scheduled for completion by late 2011. Neither company disclosed the terms of the agreement.

"We’re pleased to add more clean renewable energy for our customers, and this project is a good example of developing renewable energy resources in remote parts of our state," said NV Energy President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Yackira in a statement.

The wind farm would create more than 150 jobs during construction and 10 permanent positions.

State law requires that NV Energy obtain 25 percent of its power portfolio from renewable sources by 2025. In 2008, the last year with available statistics, the company obtained 9 percent of its power from renewables. The utility has nearly 1,000 megawatts of geothermal, solar, biomass, hydro, waste-heat recovery and wind-energy projects under contract or in development.

Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512.