(CARSON CITY, Nev.) January 28, 2022
Today, the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy (GOE) released its annual Status of Energy Report. In accordance with Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) Chapter 701.160, GOE is required to report on its objectives, activities and coordination toward its mission to ensure the wise development of Nevada’s energy resources. In addition to highlighting GOE program work, the report provides and overview of the significant state and federal policy changes to Nevada’s renewable energy, energy efficiency, and transportation electronation landscape in 2021.
“As Nevada continues to progress toward our emissions reduction targets, I am so thankful to Director Bobzien and his team for all their hard work advancing renewable energy and transportation electrification initiatives,” Governor Steve Sisolak said.
Per Governor Steve Sisolak’s Executive Order on Climate Change (2019), GOE was tasked to coordinate with the Nevada Department of Conservation of Natural Resources (DCNR), on an economy-wide climate strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and GOE’s program areas of transportation electrification and renewable energy is a continued primary focus for reaching those targets.
“Because transportation and electricity generation are Nevada’s two largest contributors to GHG emissions, GOE’s program work in 2021 underscored our focus on transportation electrification and reaching the state’s legislatively required renewable portfolio standard (RPS),” Director Bobzien said. “While electricity generated from renewable resources currently accounts for about 25 percent of the state’s electricity, we continue to collaborate with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, electricity providers, the renewable energy industry, and conservation organizations to ensure Nevada reaches our target of 50 percent clean energy by 2030.”
Additional highlights from the 2021 Status of Energy Report:
- Nevada continued to lead the way in the discussion around a western regional electricity market through several regional working groups and the formation of a Regional Transmission Coordination Task Force, thanks to Senate Bill (SB) 448.
- In early 2021, GOE submitted an intervention to the California Public Utilities Commission that resulted in the neighboring state procuring clean energy resources from southern Nevada to support transmission development and job creation in both states.
- Nevada is projected to reach 50 percent of electricity generated by renewable energy sources by 2030, as required by the RPS in NRS Chapter 704.7821.
- Thanks to the Renewable Energy Tax Abatement (RETA) program alone, 1,332 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy capacity was added in Nevada, for a total of 6,117.2 MW.
- GOE awarded $200,000 to the Walker River Paiute Tribe to fund geothermal exploration on its tribal lands, and an additional $250,000 award to the Moapa Band of Paiutes is pending U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) review for their dedicated transmission line.
- Nevada adopted the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code on July 28 with an optional electric vehicle readiness amendment, paving the way for local jurisdictions to follow suit, as required in NRS 701.220.
- GOE provided approximately $582,000 to qualifying Nevada seniors for energy efficiency improvements through its Home Energy Retrofit Opportunity for Seniors (HEROS) program, in partnership with the Nevada Housing Division.
About the Governor's Office of Energy
The Governor’s Office of Energy (GOE) oversees energy programs required through statute and those that help to meet the mission of the office, which is to ensure the wise development of Nevada’s energy resources in harmony with local community economic needs and Nevada natural resources.