LAS VEGAS, June 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- NV Energy continues to work toward its long-term goal of serving its customers with 100 percent renewable energy, announcing today the addition of nearly 1,200 megawatts of new solar photovoltaic generation to be built in the state, along with 590 megawatts of battery storage.

The renewable energy will come in the form of three projects that will be located in southern Nevada. The company will seek approval of these projects from the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada as part of its integrated resource plan filing. With the addition of these new projects, NV Energy will also exceed the promise made to its customers last year to double its renewable energy by 2023.

"Today's announcement demonstrates our commitment to bringing low-cost solar energy to our customers while helping Nevada be a leader in clean energy development and the addition of battery storage helps extend the benefits of these solar projects when the sun isn't shining," said Doug Cannon, NV Energy president and chief executive officer. "Bringing more renewable energy development to our state is what's best for our customers, our economy, job creation and for our environment."

In April, Senate Bill 358 was signed into law by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak requiring Nevada power providers to achieve a 50 percent renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS) by 2030 – a change that NV Energy fully supported and gets one step closer to satisfying with these projects. Cannon added that in addition to helping meet Nevada's new RPS, the projects outlined in the filing will help meet other important policy goals recently enacted by the Nevada Legislature and signed by Governor Steve Sisolak, such as fostering the development of community solar projects in low income areas, as well as supporting customers' demands for new programs and services, particularly businesses who are seeking sustainable, stable, low-cost energy resources and carbon reduction.

The three new solar energy projects and three related battery-energy storage resources are the result of a competitive solicitation initiated in the fall of 2018, and will create more than 3,000 temporary jobs using project labor agreements. The use of union labor ensures the projects are constructed to the highest industry standards so they can serve Nevada's energy needs for the long term.

NV Energy signed its first renewable power purchase agreement in the 1980s and has since prided itself on making renewable energy development a priority. The company exceeded Nevada's current renewable energy requirement for the ninth straight year in 2018.

In May of last year, NV Energy announced what was, at the time, the largest renewable energy expansion in Nevada's history – six new projects totaling 1,001 megawatts of new renewable energy to be built in the state with 100 megawatts of battery storage.

Today's newly announced projects will be added to NV Energy's current portfolio of 57 geothermal, solar, hydro, wind, biomass and supported rooftop solar projects both in service and under development.

Each of the three announced projects are expected to be completed and serving customers by the end of 2023:

• Arrow Canyon Solar Project - 200 megawatt solar photovoltaic project with a 75 megawatt – 5 hour battery storage system. The project will be located in Clark County, NV, 20 miles northeast of Las Vegas on the Moapa Band of Paiutes Indian Reservation. It is being developed by EDF Renewables North America, a market leading independent power producer and service provider with over 30 years of expertise in renewable energy. EDF Renewables' North American portfolio consists of 16 gigawatts of developed projects and 10 gigawatts under service contracts.
• Southern Bighorn Solar & Storage Center – 300 megawatt solar array that includes a 135 megawatt-4 hour Li-Ion battery energy storage system. The project will be built in Clark County, NV on the Moapa River Indian Reservation about 30 miles north of Las Vegas. It is being developed by 8minute Solar Energy, the largest independent developer of solar PV and storage projects in the United States, with over 15 gigawatts of solar and storage under development in California, the Southwest, Texas, and the Southeast, with more than 2 gigawatts of solar power plants now in operation.
• Gemini Solar + Battery Storage Project - 690 megawatt solar photovoltaic array coupled with a 380 megawatt AC battery storage system. The project will be located in Clark County, NV 25 miles northeast of Las Vegas on approximately 7,100 acres of federally-owned land under the management of the Bureau of Land Management. It is being developed by Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners in collaboration with Arevia Power, who are managing the development phases of the project. Quinbrook is a specialist investment manager focused exclusively on lower carbon and renewable energy infrastructure investment and operational asset management.

About NV Energy
NV Energy provides a wide range of energy services to more than 1.4 million customers throughout Nevada and more than 50 million tourists annually. NV Energy, Inc. is a holding company whose principal subsidiaries, Nevada Power Company and Sierra Pacific Power Company, do business as NV Energy. NV Energy is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. Information about NV Energy is available on the company's website, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube pages, which can be accessed via nvenergy.com.

SOURCE NV Energy