Sierra Pacific Power Company
Contact: Sonya Headen
Phone: (702) 367-5222

For Immediate Release

Nevada electric utilities named leaders in energy efficiency

Las Vegas, NV - March 2, 2004 -- Nevada Power Company and Sierra Pacific Power Company, wholly-owned subsidiaries of Sierra Pacific Resources (NYSE:SRP), were honored today with the Energy Star"Leadership Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE).

Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific, partners in the program since 2002, were honored for their efforts to raise awareness of ENERGY STAR® programs which are committed to promoting energy-efficient products and services."After hearing from our customers and with the support of the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, the companies made the decision in 2003 to launch two pilot conservation programs--an appliance rebate program and a compact fluorescent lighting program,"said Bob Balzar, director of Energy Conservation for Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific Power."Partnering with ENERGY STAR® has been a great fit for us and our customers as both conservation programs exceeded our expectations."

The utilities'appliance rebate programs resulted in a total of 4,954 rebates provided to customers for appliances. This was nearly 95 percent more than the 2,550 rebates originally targeted. Sierra Pacific Power gave 1,570 rebates to customers while Nevada Power granted a total of 3,348 rebates.

Additionally, energy-efficient lighting programs are one of the most cost effective conservation programs that a utility can implement. Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific provided 42,782 compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), at no cost to customers, through several community events in Nevada.

The Leadership in Energy Efficiency Award is given to a variety of organizations to recognize efforts to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution, resulting in significant cost savings. These Award winners are selected from thousands of organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR® program.

"This award reflects the companies'commitment to provide customers with the information and resources they need to make better choices when managing their energy usage,"said Balzar."ENERGY STAR's® partnership with Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific demonstrates how utilities are helping consumers save money and the environment at the same time,"said Kathleen Hogan, director of EPA's Climate Protection Partnership Division."We are fortunate to have Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific on the ENERGY STAR® team."

Headquartered in Nevada, Sierra Pacific Resources is a holding company whose principal subsidiaries are Nevada Power Company, the electric utility for most of southern Nevada, and Sierra Pacific Power Company, the electric utility for most of northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe area of California. Sierra Pacific Power Company also distributes natural gas in the Reno-Sparks area of northern Nevada. Other subsidiaries include the Tuscarora Gas Pipeline Company, which owns 50 percent interest in an interstate natural gas transmission partnership and several unregulated energy services companies.