Particle.news
Download on the App Store

NV Energy to End Most Power Sales to California-Side Lake Tahoe by 2027

A cross-state grid setup leaves California regulators with little leverage over the Nevada utility.

Overview

  • NV Energy told Liberty Utilities it will end "full-requirements" supply after May 2027, a shift that covers about 75% of the power used by roughly 49,000 customers on the California side of Lake Tahoe.
  • Liberty filed with the California Public Utilities Commission in March 2026 to start sourcing replacement wholesale power and says it plans a formal request for proposals this summer.
  • NV Energy says customers will not lose power and characterizes the change as a long-planned transition, while Liberty’s filings and outside reporting tie the timing to fast-rising data center demand in northern Nevada.
  • Data centers already used an estimated 22% of Nevada’s electricity in 2024 and could reach 35% by 2030, with a dozen planned projects adding about 5,900 megawatts by 2033 and NV Energy fielding more than 22 gigawatts of load requests.
  • Liberty’s Tahoe grid sits inside NV Energy’s balancing authority rather than California’s CAISO, which limits state control, makes a new California tie line costly, and leaves near-term options hinging on existing lines and a 525‑kV Nevada project expected around May 2027.