NV Energy is a public utility which generates, transmits and distributes electric service in northern and southern Nevada, including the Las Vegas Valley, and provides natural gas service in the Renoâ€"Sparks metropolitan area of northern Nevada. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, it serves about 1.3 million customers and over 40 million tourists annually.
MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company (now Berkshire Hathaway Energy), a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, acquired NV Energy in a transaction completed on December 19, 2013. NV Energy will continue to be based in Las Vegas under its current name. Prior to the acquisition by MidAmerican, the company's common stock was listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol NVE.
History
NV Energy is the product of the 1998 merger of the two major utilities in Nevadaâ€"northern Nevada's Sierra Pacific Power, based in Reno, and Las Vegas' Nevada Power.
Sierra Pacific Power was founded in 1928 from a merger of several companies dating back to the gold rush of the 1850s. In 1984, it reorganized as a holding company, Sierra Pacific Resources. Nevada Power was formed in 1906 as the Consolidated Power and Telephone Company of Nevada. It sold off its telephone operations in 1929 and became Southern Nevada Power, changing its name to Nevada Power in 1961. A year later, it became the first Nevada-based company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
In 1999, Sierra Pacific and Nevada Power merged. Sierra Pacific Resources was the nominal survivor, with Nevada Power joining Sierra Pacific Power as one of its operating companies. However, headquarters moved from Reno to Nevada Power's old campus in Las Vegas. The merger created a company with a service territory stretching over 44,400 square milesâ€"nearly all of Nevada's densely populated area.
On September 22, 2008, Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific Power began doing business as NV Energy. This is the result of the corporate decision to unify its image under a single brand. Later, Sierra Pacific Resources changed its corporate name to NV Energy, Inc.
In 2009, NV Energy sold its California operations to a partnership of Algonquin Power & Utilities and Emera. Algonquin later bought out Emera.
Service reliability
Based on the reliability of electric distribution service, NV Energy ranked among the best 10% of electric utilities nationwide in 2012, 2011 and 2010, and was the best in the nation in 2009. The rankings are based on interruption frequency and interruption duration compared to a peer group constructed by the Edison Electric Institute.
Customer service reputation
NV Energy has recently made a number of customer service improvements, including online access to account and energy use information https://nvenergy.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=8838&item=136899, revamping its IVR system and providing 24/7 customer service https://nvenergy.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=8838&item=136905.
Electric sources
The company serves its customers through a variety of sources including natural gas and renewable energy. The company is currently exceeding Nevada's renewable portfolio standard https://nvenergy.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=8838&item=136908, of 18 percent of its total energy sales. NV Energy’s northern Nevada operating company achieved a 33.6 percent renewable energy and renewable energy credit level, and southern Nevada achieved a 20.2 percent renewable portfolio standard. - See more at: https://nvenergy.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=8838&item=136908#sthash.79PdPI85.dpuf
Major projects
In May 2011, the company completed construction of the Harry Allen gas-fired generating plant below budget and ahead of schedule. Previously announced plans to construct two 750 megawatt pulverized coal generation units near Ely have been cancelled.
Prior to 2013, the company's northern and southern Nevada electric grids were not connected, and ran as separate systems. This changed in late 2013, when the company completed a transmission line running from the Harry Allen plant north to Ely, Nevada. The 500-kilovolt One Nevada Transmission Line (ONLine) is expected to improve electric service reliability, reduce costs and allow development of renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and geothermal generating units, in remote parts of the state.
NV Energy buys solar power from the 100 MW Playa Solar 2 project at $0.0378/kWh in a 20-year power purchase agreement.
Subsidiaries
- Nevada Power Company
- Sierra Pacific Power Company
References
External links
- NV Energy website
- Sources of power
- Sierra Pacific Power Company records, NC1195. Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Reno.
