Staff at the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada this week issued a report urging western states to bring multiple utilities together to provide a predictable, reliable western electric transmission system.
The report approved by the commission Tuesday essentially says Nevada dodged a bullet in August 2020 when extreme heat pushed the grid to the limit by increasing demand to unexpected levels.
PUCN Commissioner Tammy Cordova said that only with the voluntary energy conservation efforts from customers did the state avoid forced electric interruptions last summer.
The report says the western region is increasingly tight on resources, has a growing reliance on a market that is interconnected through California and a rising number of market participants all competing for the same resources. It says that is further complicated by the fact that the vast majority of electric resources in Nevada are provided through one company, NV Energy.
The report says Nevada has a robust integrated resource planning process but that changes will be required to maintain a predictable, reliable western transmission system.
The report concludes that this initial document is just the first step in creating a regional market that can reliably serve the state and the West, and provide for the increasing number of customers and other concerns.
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