Media Contact for Nevada Power:
Sonya Headen (702) 367-5222
       
Media Contact for WestConnect:
Charles Reinhold (208) 253-6916

Nevada Power, a subsidiary of Sierra Pacific Resources (NYSE:SRP) announced today that the Company has joined WestConnect.
 
WestConnect is a group of southwest transmission-providing utilities, both FERC jurisdictional and non-FERC jurisdictional, that has agreed to work collaboratively to assess stakeholder and market needs and to investigate and analyze cost-effective enhancements to the western wholesale electricity market.  WestConnect is committed to coordinating its work with other regional industry efforts to achieve as much consistency as possible in the Western Interconnection.

"Nevada Power's participation is a big plus for our group,"said Charles Reinhold, WestConnect project manager. "Southern Nevada is a key part of the electricity market in the southwest."

"Nevada Power is pleased to be a WestConnect member and we look forward to working with market participants to develop a more effective and robust transmission system in the Southwest,"said Carolyn Barbash, transmission executive for Nevada Power.

There are eleven southwest utilities that are members of WestConnect.  They include: Arizona Public Service Company, El Paso Electric Company, Imperial Irrigation District, Nevada Power Company, Public Service Company of Colorado, Public Service Company of New Mexico, Salt River Project, Southwest Transmission Cooperative, Inc., Tri-State Generation& Transmission Association, Inc., Tucson Electric Power Company and Western Area Power Administration.

About WestConnect:

Building on the highly successful launch of wesTTrans, a western gridwide Open Access Sametime Information Systems (OASIS), WestConnect continues to find ways to improve the western wholesale electricity markets through a more efficient transmission system.  Towards that end, WestConnect is actively pursuing enhancements to the regional planning process within its footprint and is, investigating other potential market improvements, including opportunities for enhanced reserves and regulation sharing among the WestConnect participants.  WestConnect continues to coordinate its activities with other transmission operating entities in the West.

About Sierra Pacific Resources:

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.