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Nevada can’t attract businesses, jobs without reliable energy

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5 months ago

July 10, 2024

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Nevada can’t attract businesses, jobs without reliable energy

Ann Silver
| Reno Gazette Journal

It’s no secret that the Reno-Sparks area is at the center of a growing Nevada. Our business-friendly environment, smallish-town feel and cultural diversity continue to attract new businesses to the state. As the CEO of the Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce, I’m committed to helping our business community grow and thrive. When our businesses prosper, so does our community, employment opportunities expand, and our families benefit.

That’s why I was interested to read details of NV Energy’s latest Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), a comprehensive plan that looks at future energy needs for our state and how the company plans to balance the needs of current and future customers. It’s a plan that required careful consideration — with an eye on keeping energy rates affordable over the long term.

The IRP is currently being considered by the Nevada Public Utilities Commission and many consumer sessions will be held for the public to provide input. The Chamber will be monitoring the sessions to make sure that key elements of the IRP will not harm or impact the business community.

The vast majority of resources that NV Energy is proposing to build are renewable resources — a factor businesses are considering when looking to start or relocate their operations. We’re a state that sees more than 300 days of sunshine, and NV Energy is capitalizing on that for customers with new solar arrays, all of which also include battery storage capacity.

With those resources, there must be a balance. And that balance is natural gas. NV Energy is proposing a modest addition of natural gas units, to be used in times of peak demand, to ensure power available around the clock for its customers.

We will not continue to attract businesses — and jobs — without these natural-gas units to ensure power is available 24/7.

I remain encouraged by NV Energy’s recent plan to provide more fairness, equity and stability in their bills for Northern Nevada customers. The company’s plan to increase the fixed monthly charge — while also decreasing the energy use portion of the bill — will allow customers to better budget for their bottom line. Adjusting the basic service charge in Northern Nevada does not increase average customer bills — this is a fact.

Through March 2024, Nevada’s average retail price for all sectors was 53.6 percent lower than California, and 8.3 percent lower than the United States, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. I appreciate NV Energy’s efforts to ensure we all have safe, reliable and affordable power while making sure plans are in place to meet the growing energy demand of a rapidly growing state.

We strongly encourage the business community to participate in the consumer sessions and the Chamber will continue to participate in the proceedings. Our job is to advocate on behalf of our businesses, to keep them informed, and to ensure their voices are heard and appreciated prior to any final decision by the PUC.

Ann Silver is the CEO of the Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce.

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