KLAS-TV Channel 8 News Las VegasReport Focuses on Nevada's Energy Needs
Nevada must rely on more than new coal-fired power plants to meet growing demands, according to a report authored by the state's former energy adviser and commissioned by the San Francisco-based Energy Foundation.
Carl Linvill, former Gov. Kenny Guinn's energy adviser and also a former Public Utilities Commission member, said a key element of a "flexible infrastructure" is a north-south power transmission line -- regardless of whether a new coal-fired plant is built in eastern Nevada.
Linvill said Sierra Pacific Resources is delaying construction of its coal-fired plant near Ely due to federal permit "uncertainties," but it would be "a serious mistake" to let that slow down other projects.
The report also says a review of Western planning reports finds that resources such as solar, geothermal and wind power "are expected to be cost-competitive with traditional gas and coal-fired generation."
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
