Las Vegas Review Journal detailed Nevada's progress toward a more interconnected power grid, featuring findings from AEE's Western RTO economic impact study. Read snippets below and the full article here.

A newly published study shows Nevada could get billions in benefits and thousands in jobs if the state joins a western energy collective.

If all 11 states in the West join an energy collective called a regional transmission organization or independent system operator, that could boost the economy by enticing businesses to the region. according to the study by Advanced Energy Economy...

The economic impact study, released in July, shows how millions could be gained if the 11 western states — Nevada, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming — entered into a RTO that could net thousands of jobs and billions in taxes. Advanced Energy Economy, which produced the study, is a group of businesses dedicated to enabling “rapid growth of advanced energy businesses,” according to its website...

The economic impact study claims that such a regionwide commitment to energy sharing could increase the region’s total gross domestic product by $18.8 billion to $79.2 billion per year depending on growth, add between 159,000 to 657,000 permanent jobs and save $2 billion annually in energy bills for the region by 2030...

It also estimates that governments in the West could get $619 million to $2.4 billion in annual tax revenues based on the increased economic growth that could come with an RTO. This study looks at the benefits of the western region RTO and doesn’t include the specific benefits Nevada could get from a RTO; nevertheless, state officials were excited to share the information in the AEE study.

Read the full article here.