NV Energy seeks $5.25 a month residential customer rate hike to recover transmission line costs
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Wed, 01/12/2022 - 2:53pm
NV Energy has submitted an application to recover costs associated with installing a transmission line that runs between northern and southern Nevada. If approved, electric bills for single-family homes would increase by $5.25 a month or 4.8 percent over the course of nine months.
The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada has scheduled a consumer session on Thursday, Jan. 20 in Carson City and Las Vegas to hear public comments regarding the application, which the utility says it wishes to recover costs associated with the One Nevada Transmission Line between Robinson Summit Substation in northern Nevada and the Harry Allen Substation in Southern Nevada. The applicant is NV Energy's subsidiary, Sierra Pacific Power.
According to the application, the utility seeks to revise current tariffs to establish a temporary rate to recover reallocated ON Line revenue requirements. As requested, the nine month period needed to recover costs would begin April 1, 2022, generating approximately $28.188 million, according to a Public Utilities Commission of Nevada news release.
In its application, SPPC states that its request could save its customers up to an estimated $4.652 million by establishing the temporary rate on April 1, 2022, rather than if the ON Line project regulatory asset is recovered over the next rate case cycle, which is 2023-2025.
If the request is approved, the average monthly single-family residential electric bill in Northern Nevada would increase an estimated $5.25, or 4.80 percent for the nine-month period. The average percentage increase for all rate classes would be 4.40 percent, the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada news release states.
The consumer session, which will be video conferenced between the PUCN’s Carson City and Las Vegas offices, is scheduled as follows: Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022, at 6 p.m. Hearing Room A, Public Utilities Commission of Nevada 1150 E. William St. Carson City and Hearing Room A, Public Utilities Commission of Nevada 9075 West Diablo Drive, Suite 250 Las Vegas.
Representatives from SPPC and the PUCN Regulatory Operations Staff will be present at the consumer session. Public comment will be limited to the contents of the application and may be limited to five minutes per speaker.
Written comments also may be submitted to the PUCN electronically through the Electronic Filing System on the PUCN’s website, by hand-delivery or via U.S. Mail.
A hearing in this matter is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 17. Information about the application can be found on the PUCN’s website at puc.nv.gov. From the top navigational bar on the home page, select Dockets and then select All Dockets. Scroll to Docket No. 21-10012 and click “View.”
For information regarding the consumer session, contact the PUCN at (775) 684-6101. Live links to the consumer session and hearing will be available on the PUCN’s website. On the homepage, click on “Calendar – Listen Live” to find those links.
