BLM gives initial OK to transmission line route
Great Basin Transmission, an affiliate of independent power producer LS Power, received a finding that the line would have no significant environmental impact.
The transmission line would carry electricity some 250 miles from White Pine County to Las Vegas.
Mark Milburn, project development director for LS Power, says the company wants to build the power line even if the company doesn't build a coal-fired power plant near Ely.
He says the 500-kilovolt line, dubbed the Southwest Intertie Project, would let utility company Nevada Power Co. of Las Vegas tap power from northern Nevada geothermal energy sites.
And Sierra Pacific Power Co. of Reno would be able to get power from solar power plants in southern Nevada.
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Electricity users in Newfoundland have started paying for Muskrat Falls
ST. JOHNS - With their July electricity bill, Newfoundland Power customers have begun paying for Muskrat Falls, though bills haven't significantly increased — yet.
In a July newsletter, Newfoundland Power said electricity bills were set to decrease by 6.4 per cent as part of the annual rate stabilization adjustment, which reflects the cost of electricity generation.
Instead, that decrease has been offset by a 6.1 increase in electricity rates so Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro can begin recovering the cost of Muskrat Falls, the $13-billion hydroelectric megaproject that is billions over budget and years behind schedule.
That means for residential customers, electricity rates will…