November 17, 1999
Sierra Pacific Resources
Contact: Mark Ruelle or Rich Atkinson
Phone: (775) 834-5400/(775) 834-4358

For Immediate Release

Las Vegas, Nev. - Sierra Pacific Resources (NYSE: SRP) Board of Directors, meeting Tuesday in Las Vegas, approved a quarterly dividend on common stock of 25 cents per share. The dividend is payable Feb. 1, 2000, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Jan. 14, 2000.

Sierra Pacific Resources is a holding company whose principal subsidiaries are Sierra Pacific Power Company and Nevada Power Company. Combined, the two utilities serve 843,000 electric customers in southern and northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe area of California, along with 105,000 natural gas and 67,000 water customers in Reno and Sparks, Nevada.