Overview
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 The company's Farad Hydroelectric Plant (above), built alongside the Truckee River in 1899, was the first electric generating plant on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. The Tracy Power Plant (below), is located east of Reno along I-80. The last generating unit at Tracy went on line in 1963.  |
History: Sierra Pacific Power
Serving Nevada Since the Comstock LodeSierra Pacific's roots go back more than 150 years to the California Gold Rush and the discovery of rich silver and gold deposits on the Comstock Lode.
The company's Farad Hydroelectric Plant, built alongside the Truckee River in 1899, was the first electric generating plant on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. Mining interests bankrolled the project so they could pump water out of the Virginia City silver mines as the mine shafts were sunk deeper and deeper into the earth. The Virginia City electric distribution system - Nevada's first -- was one of only a handful nationwide designed by genius inventor Thomas Alva Edison. The demand for electricity grew quickly as Nevada's mines prospered in the early 1900s and more pioneers migrated to the Silver State.
As a side note, in 2002 ownership of the company's small hydro-electric plants including Farad, was transferred to the Truckee Meadows Water Authority when it purchased Sierra's water treatment/distribution system in Reno-Sparks.
Reliance on imported power lasted until the 1960s
By the time Sierra Pacific Power was incorporated from an amalgamation of numerous
predecessor companies in 1928, electricity was purchased from other utilities and
"imported" to northern Nevada over high voltage electric transmission lines.
Beginning in 1963, the company started constructing its own natural gas and oil
fired power plants, reducing its dependence on imported power. Coal-fired generation was
added to the electric mix in the 1980s. Today, Sierra Pacific's customers are served
by a combination of imported power and electricity produced by the company's
three major power plants.
The region's first natural gas pipeline was constructed to deliver fuel to the Tracy Power Plant east of Reno. Sierra Pacific was able to enter the natural gas distribution business in the Reno-Sparks area. The company was already well established as the water provider for Reno-Sparks.
Pacific Power's common stock was first traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 1968. Sierra Pacific Resources, the holding company for Sierra Pacific Power, was formed in 1984.
Mining still accounts for a significant portion of Sierra Pacific's electric sales as it did when the Farad hydroelectric plant began generating electricity at the turn of the century. However, Nevada's rapidly growing economy is becoming increasingly diversified as new companies take advantage of the state's favorable tax structure and pro-business environment.
