NV Energy has announced its Renewable Transmission Initiative, a process designed to engage renewable developers, load-serving entities, and others to assess their interest in obtaining transmission service from renewable energy zones in Nevada to other markets, particularly California and the Desert Southwest.

NV Energy will conduct a solicitation of interest through its existing Federal Energy Regulatory Commission-approved transmission planning processes. The Renewable Transmission Initiative process will enable the company to determine which of the renewable zones in Nevada will generate sufficient commitment on the part of market participants and other stakeholders to support the construction of the transmission infrastructure required to export energy from those zones.

The renewable energy zones were originally identified by Nevada's Renewable Energy Transmission Access Advisory Committee in a multi-year collaborative process with renewable energy developers, environmental organizations, the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, state and federal agencies, rural cooperatives and NV Energy.

Depending on market interest, NV Energy's Renewable Transmission Initiative could ultimately result in the construction of up to 570 miles of new overhead electric transmission lines and associated facilities.

NV Energy recently submitted a Preliminary Plan of Development for the Renewable Transmission Initiative to the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management and a Utility Environmental Protection Act filing with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada to begin the permitting and approval process.

Interested parties are encouraged to visit NV Energy's website at www.NVEnergy.com/RTI for additional information and the required documents for participation in the Renewable Transmission Initiative process. The website also enables interested parties to register for one of two upcoming informational meetings that will be held in Reno, Nevada on Aug. 10, 2011, and Las Vegas on Aug. 12, 2011. Once participants register on the website, they will be provided regular email updates as the process evolves and as individual questions are answered for the benefit of all interested parties.

Following the informational meetings, Statements of Interest from participating parties will be due Sept. 16, 2011. No fee will be required to file a Statement of Interest.