Las Vegas Review-Journal: Major $1B transmission project breaks ground in Southern Nevada

Around 155 miles of 230 kilovolt and 500 kilovolt transmission lines will be added to Nevada’s grid — enough to generate power for 750,000 homes.

GridLiance West broke ground on the new project Tuesday in Jean that will include transmission lines across Clark and Nye counties, as well as upgrading and building new substations. The around $1 billion project has been in the works since 2022, with upgraded transmission lines anticipated to be in service by 2028.

The transmission upgrades will be built on the west side of the Spring Mountains from Las Vegas to Pahrump and Indian Springs, according to a news release from the Bureau of Land Management.

He also gave specific praise to BLM for helping with acquisition of the land, saying “it’s important that we have a good relationship with our federal partners. But it’s even more important when the federal partners actually do something.”

The groundbreaking brought together tribal, county, state and federal representatives, including Lombardo, Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., Assistant Secretary of Electricity for the U.S. Department of Energy Katie Jereza, Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy Director James Humm, Public Utilities Commission of Nevada Commissioner Tammy Cordova, as well as BLM officials.

NextEra worked with environmental specialists and state agencies to reduce impacts on the desert landscape, including the desert tortoises. Additionally, it also worked with the Clark County Department of Aviation to ensure safe passage for planes and the Department of War to ensure it supports military operations.