NRS704.223. Authorization of purchase or transmission of electricity to certain businesses to reduce overall cost of electricity to business.

      1.  If a business with a new industrial load has been certified by the Office of Economic Development pursuant to NRS 231.139, the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada may authorize a public utility that furnishes electricity for the business to purchase or transmit a portion of the electricity provided to the business to reduce the overall cost of the electricity to the business. The purchases of electricity may be made by the business with the new industrial load, by agreement between the public utility and the business or by the public utility on behalf of the business, and must be made in accordance with such rates, terms and conditions as are established by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada.

      2.  If additional facilities are determined by the affected utility to be required as the result of authorization granted pursuant to subsection 1, the facilities must be constructed, owned and operated by the affected utility. The business must agree as a condition to the authorization granted pursuant to subsection 1 to continue its business in operation in Nevada for 30 years. The agreement must require appropriate security for the reimbursement of the utility for the remaining portion of the value of the facilities which has not been depreciated by the utility and will not be mitigated by use of the facilities for other customers in the event that the business, or its successor in interest, does not remain in operation for 30 years.

      3.  Nothing in this section authorizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to order the purchase or transmittal of electricity in the manner described in subsection 1.

      4.  All of the rules, regulations and statutes pertaining to the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada and public utilities apply to actions taken pursuant to this section.

      5.  Any authorization granted by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada pursuant to this section must include such terms and conditions as the Commission determines are necessary to ensure that the rates or charges assessed to other customers of the public utility do not subsidize the cost of providing service to the business.

      (Added to NRS by 1993, 817; A 1997, 1910; 2011, 3483)