Sierra Pacific Resources
Contact: Media Contact: Sonya Headen, 702-367-5222
Analyst Contact: Rich Atkinson, 775-834-5640
Phone: please see above

For Immediate Release

LAS VEGAS, Nevada - Sierra Pacific Resources (NYSE: SRP) announced today that it has appointed longtime public relations executive Jack Leone as vice president of marketing and communications, overseeing all communications, public relations, market research and advertising activities for the parent company and its subsidiaries.

"We are privileged to have an executive of Mr. Leone's caliber and stature in the community join our staff," said Walter Higgins, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sierra Pacific.

Mr. Leone's 37-year career in public relations includes 16 years affiliated with the casino industry, most recently as Vice President of Marketing at Caesars Palace from March 2001 to the present. From 1984 to 1999, he held a series of senior public relations and marketing positions in gaming, including Caesars World, Inc., MGM Grand Hotel Casino and Mandalay Bay Resort&Casino. Prior to rejoining the Caesars organization, he served approximately two years as a Member of the Firm at Sitrick And Company, a public relations firm based in Los Angeles.

Mr. Leone also has an extensive background in industries other than gaming, holding a series of increasingly responsible positions at Getty Oil Company in Los Angeles, Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation in Mountain View, California, and IBM in White Plains, N.Y.

Before entering public relations, he spent six years as a writer, reporter and editor for various newspapers, including Newsday in NewYork.

Mr. Leone, whose appointment takes effect near the end of June, replaces Paul Heagen who left the Company last month to return to private public relations practice.

About Sierra Pacific: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.

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