New EPA-mandated plan praised for potential to create jobs, cut utility bills

Nevada, through its electrical utility NV Energy and its plans to generate power for its customers, is also well-situated to meet the goals set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency between 2020 and 2030, said Bob Johnston, representing the group Western Resource Advocates.

The targets for Nevada and other states are based on the pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per megawatt hour of generated electricity.

Because of Senate Bill 123 of the 2013 Nevada legislative session, NV Energy will substantially reduce its reliance on coal-fired electricity generation by 2019, eliminating 800 megawatts of high CO² generating emissions, Johnston said. Coal has more than twice the CO² emissions than natural gas, he said.

In 2020, Nevada’s goal is 754 pounds of CO² per megawatt hour of production, and NV Energy is expected to be over that target at 796 pounds, according to information provided by Western Resource Advocates.

By 2030, however, Nevada’s target of 647 pounds of CO² emissions would be met with room to spare. NV Energy’s CO² emissions are projected to be at 528 pounds of CO² emissions per megawatt hour.

Even when power projects not controlled by NV Energy, including those in Nevada serving Idaho and California, are counted as emissions, the total CO² emissions would be 613 pounds in 2030, still below the target of 647 pounds for Nevada.

These targets are well below the 1,280 pounds of CO² produced in Nevada in 2013, which was already significantly reduced from the 1,770 pounds of CO² reported in 2005, Johnston said.

The EPA will issue its final standards in the next few weeks. Then states will have one year to submit an implementation plan to meet the CO² emission reduction targets.

States have the flexibility to meet the goals through such alternatives as energy conservation, renewable energy projects and by reducing the use of coal-fired plants.

“The Nevada Clean Power Plan will boost an already thriving clean energy industry that has and continues to diversify Nevada’s economy and attracted new business investments from companies like SWITCH, Tesla and Apple,” the groups, including the Sierra Club, said in a statement ahead of the telephone conference. “New carbon pollution safeguards create a significant opportunity to modernize our aging electric system and develop Nevada’s vast clean energy resources.”

Jennifer Taylor, executive director of the Clean Energy Project, said Nevada is heavily involved in renewable energy development, with an estimated 3,000 jobs generated by the industry, from solar manufacturers to contractors.

This does not include the estimated 6,000 jobs involved in Nevada’ s rooftop-solar industry.

As for ratepayers, Nevada Power Co., which operates under NV Energy in Southern Nevada, has proposed two new 100-megawatt solar projects that will produce clean renewable energy at a rate lower than has yet been seen in the industry. If the projects are approved by the Nevada Public Utilities Commission, ratepayers will receive energy at less than 5 cents per kilowatt hour, making the price lower than any new fossil fuel plant alternative when they open in late 2016, Johnston said.

According to a recent Tarrance Group poll, 73 percent of Nevadans believe government should promote development and use of renewable energy in Nevada. In addition, the same poll found that 75 percent of Nevadans support the EPA’s proposal for Nevada to reduce carbon pollution by 35 percent by 2030, with majority support across all political parties.

Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900. Find him on Twitter: @seanw801