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Sierra Club Lawsuits

Nevada Ely Energy Center is Indefinitely Postponed!

Case Updates:

February 17, 2009

Great news!  In early February 2009, NV Energy announced it was shelving plans for its proposed 1500-MW Ely Energy Center and would not consider any new coal projects.  Costs for the proposed plant had already skyrocketed to $5 billion, and NV Energy said that the additional expenses of complying with future greenhouse gas emission regulations made the project uneconomical. NV Energy said it would reconsider building the Ely plant when carbon capture and sequestration technology becomes commercially viable, but that is not expected for at least another ten years. NV Energy plans to move forward with a 500-kV transmission line, which would give the company access to renewable resources, like geothermal and wind, in northern Nevada.

“NV Energy’s leadership on this issue is a turning point for the state of Nevada and its energy and economic future. By postponing indefinitely the construction of the Ely coal-fired power plant and focusing instead on clean energy, NV Energy is putting the best interests of its shareholders, its ratepayers and Nevada residents and business first. This landmark decision puts Nevada at the cutting edge of clean energy development in the nation, and that will pave the way to creating thousands of new jobs and putting the state on the road to renewed prosperity.”    –Lydia Ball, Sierra Club

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