News

Nevada Current announces Nevada's plans to build a new power plant as a solution to building a more reliable energy source, including Sarah Steinberg's staunch disapproval as NVEnergy continues to cost ratepayers more dollars.

Nevada regulators have approved an NV Energy plan to build a natural gas-fired power plant they say will help address system reliability as weather grows more extreme and unpredictable across the region.

The energy monopoly will build a 400 MW gas-fired combustion turbine – or “peaker plant” – on the site of the Silverhawk Generating Station in southern Nevada to cover increasingly volatile seasonal peak demand. The gas plant would be the first built in Nevada in nearly 15 years.

Peak plants typically only run a few hundred hours of the year – or sometimes even less. Most of the year the plant sits idle and unused. The Silverhawk plant will be allowed to operate up to 700 hours annually.

NPR's Mountain West News Bureau featured AEE's Western RTO economic impact study, quoting Sarah Steinberg on how a regionally interconnected power grid can help tackle the region's reliability issues. Read snippets below and the full article here.

Linking the West’s electric utilities to form one organized market would create thousands of jobs and lower energy costs in Nevada, a new economic analysis suggests.

Joining a Western RTO could create up to 21,000 jobs and save Nevadans millions in energy cost.

CARSON CITY, September 28, 2022 — A new analysis shows Nevada would see significant economic benefits from joining a regional electric grid with neighboring states. The study, conducted by independent consulting firm Energy Strategies on behalf of business association Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), found that joining a regional transmission organization (RTO) could generate upwards of $2 billion in new Gross State Product (GSP) for Nevada and upwards of 20,000 permanent, living-wage jobs across diverse sectors of the economy.

Indiana Business Journal published an op-ed by AEE's Sarah Steinberg, explaining why IURC should invest in clean energy resources and reject Duke Energy Indiana's gas-fired plants. Read snippets below and the full article here.

Duke Energy is one of the nation’s largest utility companies, serving roughly 9 million people across six states. So when this Fortune 150 company announced plans to accelerate its energy transition and reach an entirely clean electricity generation portfolio by 2050, it received significant publicity, including here in Indiana. After all, with Duke Energy Indiana serving over 860,000 customers, this announcement should mean two things: good local jobs developing new energy resources and lower electricity rates from affordable wind, solar, energy storage, energy efficiency and demand management solutions.

Courier & Press published an op-ed by AEE's Sarah Steinberg explaining the concerns with CenterPoint's new natural gas power plant proposal. Read snippets below and the full article here.

Legally speaking, your electric utility is required to provide you service at the “lowest cost reasonably possible.”

The Nevada Independent detailed steps toward a Western electric grid, quoting AEE's Sarah Steinberg on the benefits of a regional market. Read snippets below and the full article here. 

The end goal is clear: A more efficient and organized regional electric grid.

INDIANAPOLIS, December 16, 2021 – This week Duke Energy Indiana announced what types of energy it expects to use to power homes and businesses in its coverage area over the next two decades, revealing plans to continue heavy use of fossil fuels despite more affordable advanced energy options on the market.

“Natural gas prices are rising and Hoosier ratepayers are already feeling the effects, but this plan by Duke Energy Indiana doubles down on a fuel that utility executives know is more expensive today and predictably volatile tomorrow,” says Sarah Steinberg, principal at Indiana Advanced Energy Economy (AEE). “It also delays the addition of advanced energy resources, like solar, wind, and battery storage, until the next decade, which will lock in higher bills for Hoosier ratepayers instead of making investments in more cost-effective options today.”