Nevada power utility NV Energy and its subsidiary Sierra Pacific Power Company have an anxious two-month wait to hear if they will be fined for not setting aside $10 million in incentives for energy storage systems in the US state.
Members of industry regulator the California Public Utilities Commission found that NV Energy had “failed to comply with the Commission’s orders” to set aside funding for energy storage during a prehearing on 27 June.
The firms will have a chance to explain why they should not be “assessed administrative fines for failing to comply with the Commission’s orders” during a hearing on 3 September.
The accusations stem from a failure to meet the 2017 SB145 legislature, part of the Solar Energy Systems Incentive Program— a scheme for the payment of incentives for the installation of certain energy storage systems.
State law gives the Commission the ability to levy administrative fines, limited up to $1,000 per day or $100,000, for any “related series of violations”.
A spokesman for the companies told BBB: “Given that this is a pending regulatory proceeding, I can’t provide additional comment.”
Building a renewables future
In April, Senate Bill 358 was signed into law by Nevada governor Steve Sisolak requiring Nevada power providers to achieve a 50% renewable energy portfolio by 2030.
NV Energy aims to eventually reach 100% renewable energy supply, and last month filed for approval of 590MW of battery storage paired with 1.2GW of solar to be built in Nevada, as BBB reported last month.
The capacity, split between three projects in Clark County, Nevada, is due to be installed by the end of 2023. The company will seek approval for these projects from the PUC of Nevada as part of its integrated resource plan filing.
The projects are:
- Arrow Canyon Solar Project: 200MW with a 75MW, five-hour battery storage system. It is being developed by EDF Renewables North America.
- Southern Bighorn Solar & Storage Center: 300MW solar including a 135MW, four-hour lithium-ion system being developed by 8minute Solar Energy,
- Gemini Solar + Battery Storage Project: 690MW solar array coupled with a 380MW AC battery storage system being developed by Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners in collaboration with Arevia Power,
