Sep 22 - Las Vegas Business Press

State officials want Nevada Power Co. to back off developing a giant coal-fired power plant at Ely and consider building a smaller coal-fired power plant instead.

Analysts with an environmental group, the staff of the Public Utilities Commission and the attorney general's Bureau of Consumer Protection filed written testimony saying delays and possible new rules on carbon emissions make the proposed 1,500-megawatt Ely Energy Center less financially viable.

The expected cost of the project has already risen to $5 billion from $3.8 billion and it could rise even more if federal regulations on carbon dioxide emissions are enacted, as expected, said Charles Benjamin, president of Nevadans for Clean Affordable Reliable Energy.

Jon Davis, an electrical engineer with the Public Utilities Commission staff, suggested that the Las Vegas utility and its affiliate, Sierra Pacific Power Co. of Reno, build another unit at the Valmy Power Station, in Northern Nevada between Battle Mountain and Winnemucca. Davis left open the possibility of the building Ely center later.

Copyright Las Vegas Business Press Aug 18, 2008

(c) 2008 Las Vegas Business Press. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.