네바다주, 급속히 확장 중인 데이터 센터 허브에 전력을 공급하기 위해 특별히 설계된 155마일 송전선 프로젝트를 승인
Nevada officials broke ground this month on a major transmission upgrade in the southern part of the state, a project developers say will add up to 1 gigawatt of capacity to the regional power grid. Led by GridLiance West, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Transmission, the Core Upgrades Project will replace or rebuild 155 miles of 230-kilovolt and 500-kilovolt transmission lines and modernize substations across Clark and Nye counties. The initiative does not generate electricity but is designed to strengthen the region’s high-voltage backbone.
Key upgrades include rebuilding the Trout Canyon–Sloan Canyon line into a 500-kilovolt, double-circuit system and converting the existing 230-kilovolt Trout Canyon–Northwest line into a double-circuit configuration. Officials state the improvements will bolster grid reliability for Las Vegas and surrounding communities, much of which relies on aging infrastructure nearing the end of its operational lifespan.
Governor Joe Lombardo joined federal, state, and local leaders at a groundbreaking ceremony at Jean Airport. Transmission development remains central to his energy agenda. In June, Lombardo joined ten other Western governors in a bipartisan endorsement of the Western Transmission Expansion Coalition (WestTEC) roadmap, establishing a task force to coordinate permitting for cross-border transmission projects. “Nevada's continued economic success depends on reliable, affordable energy,” Lombardo said. “As our state expands and attracts new businesses, we need the infrastructure to support that growth. This agreement shows that Western states can work together to modernize our grid, protect ratepayers, and build the transmission network needed to power the next generation of economic opportunity.”
The Bureau of Land Management approved the project in June following a federal environmental review that began with public scoping in August 2023. The authorization covers construction, operation, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of the upgraded lines, alongside new or expanded substations, switchyards, and access roads. Most work will follow existing utility corridors west of the Spring Mountains, impacting approximately 4,900 acres of federal land in Clark and Nye counties.
GridLiance West currently operates roughly 167 miles of 230-kilovolt lines in Nevada and has connected the Valley Electric Association’s system to the California Independent System Operator since 2017. The company plans to utilize existing rights-of-way wherever feasible to minimize impacts on landowners and the environment. Construction is scheduled to continue through late 2027, with the upgraded system expected to enter service in 2028. Surging demand from data centers is a primary catalyst for the expansion; according to the Electric Power Research Institute, data centers consumed 8.69% of Nevada’s electricity in 2023, a share projected to approach 20% by 2030.