Nevada signs energy-saving contract
NEVADA - Nevada has contracted with a Dallas-based firm that finds ways to cut utility bills and save its clients millions of dollars — for an average 30 percent cut of the savings.
Members of the state Board of Examiners, chaired by Gov. Jim Gibbons, voted to sign a contract for up to $10 million with LPB Energy Consulting, headed by Matthew Berke. The contract runs through August 2012.
State Treasurer Kate Marshall presented the plan to the board, saying there are no up-front costs or long-term liabilities for the state. LPB's fee is based on actual energy cost savings — and without savings there is no fee.
Berke said LPB has similar contracts in several states, including Texas, Massachusetts, Utah, Mississippi and Maine. In Nevada, all state agencies plus the university and court systems, Legislative Counsel Bureau and political subdivisions can try the LPB service.
LPB centralizes data on utility bills and generates reports that pinpoint ways of cutting energy costs. Berke said the state could wind up saving several million dollars on utility costs over the term of the contract.
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Egypt's renewable energy to reach 6.6 GW by year-end
CAIRO - Egypt is planning to expand into renewable energy projects in a bid to increase its contribution to the energy mix, the country’s minister of electricity and renewable energy Mohamed Shaker said.
Renewable power is expected to add 6.6 gigawatts (GW) by the end of 2020, with plans to reach 8,200 megawatts (MW) after the completion of the renewable energy projects currently under consideration, Shaker added in a statement on Tuesday.
This came during the minister’s video-conference meeting with the British ambassador to Egypt Geoffrey Adams to explore the potential means for cooperation between the two countries in the electricity sector.