Sierra Pacific Resources is moving forward with the Ely Energy Center, a 2,500-megawatt coal-fired power facility in White Pine County, Nevada, and an approximately 250-mile transmission line that for the first time would unify the state's electrical system. The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada has approved the initial phases of the project.

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The facility will diversify the state's energy portfolio, increase the stability of the electrical grid, connect northern Nevada's power grid with southern Nevada's, and increase the availability of renewable energy to the customers of the state's utilities. In addition, the center will bring jobs and economic development opportunities to White Pine County.

Plans initially call for two 750 megawatt units utilizing state-of-the-art, environmentally compliant, clean pulverized coal technologies. The first 750-megawatt unit is expected to become operational in late 2011, with the second following in 2013.

Click the graphic to the left, to see a graph of how Ely will emit less emissions.

The proposed second phase, consisting of two additional 500-megawatt coal gasification units will follow when commercially viable. The total project will be the largest energy development in the state since the Hoover Dam was completed in 1936.

A vital part of the project is a 250-mile transmission line which, for the first time, will unify Nevada's electrical systems. Interconnection of north and south will allow efficient sharing of resources between the two systems, as well as facilitating development of hundreds of megawatts of renewable energy in Nevada.

Nevada continues to be one of the fastest growing states, and the Ely Energy Center is a critical component to meet this dramatic growth.  Nevada Power Company is experiencing an annual load growth of 3-4 percent, and Sierra Pacific Power is growing by about a 1-2 percent annually.  In addition to developing the Ely Energy Center, the company’s “Integrated Resource Plan” includes:

• Replacing aging, less-efficient power plants;
• Tripling the companies’ renewable energy supplies;
• Embracing 15 separate programs to reduce customer demand for electricity; and
• Building the first-ever transmission inter-tie between the northern and southern service territories to improve reliability and the sharing of resources.

This project takes advantage of the predictable, long-term economics of coal-fired generation compared to the volatility of competing fuels and recent technological advances in ultra-supercritical coal unit designs and environmental controls.

Among the benefits:

• Ely Energy Center will provide Nevadans with the cleanest, most efficient and reliable energy supply at the lowest overall cost;
• The project will maintain diversity in our mix of energy sources;
• Will meet customer's needs at the lowest cost;
• Will strengthen the electrical system infrastructure in Nevada; and
• Will open the path for renewable energy to be economically transported to where it is most needed.

An estimated 2,500-3,000 acres of land will be required to support the Ely Energy Center's facilities, including the power blocks, switchyard, cooling blocks, coal storage/handling, ash disposal, and wastewater ponds.

Commercial operation for Phase 1 is slated for 2011-2013.

Ownership

The Ely Energy Center is a wholly-owned project of Sierra Pacific Resources.

Sierra Pacific Resources is an investor-owned holding company, whose wholly-owned subsidiaries are Sierra Pacific Power Company and Nevada Power Company, both of which are regulated by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada.

Sierra Pacific Power and Nevada Power serve more than one million customers in Nevada and California. The combined service area covers 54,531 square miles.

Sierra Pacific Power has served customers in northern Nevada and northeastern California for more than 140 years. Its service territory includes Reno-Sparks, Elko and South Lake Tahoe.

Nevada Power has served Las Vegas and southern Nevada since 1906. Its service territory includes Las Vegas, Henderson and most of Clark County

Technical Facts

Super-Critical Coal Burning
The Ely Energy Center will use advanced ultra supercritical coal-fired units that are 5-10 percent more efficient than traditional pulverized coal technology, primarily due to higher operating temperatures and pressures. Generally, the higher the boiler pressure and temperature, the more efficient the generation unit is.

As a result of the increased efficiency, fuel consumption is reduced dramatically compared to older technologies. For example, for every 1 percent improvement in efficiency there is a 3 percent reduction in emissions per megawatt hour of electricity due to the significant reduction in fuel consumption.

More information on ultra supercritical boilers

Coal Gasification
Phase two of the project will use integrated coal gasification, and will be operational once this technology is commercial viable. The Department of Energy describes coal gasification as follows:

"Rather than burning coal directly, gasification breaks down coal - or virtually any carbon-based feedstock - into its basic chemical constituents. In a modern gasifier, coal is typically exposed to hot steam and carefully controlled amounts of air or oxygen under high temperatures and pressures. Under these conditions, carbon molecules in coal break apart, setting off chemical reactions that typically produce a mixture of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and other gaseous compounds."

The mixture of gases, or syngas, is then used as a fuel in a traditional gas-turbine combined cycle plant.

More information on gasification technology