Quinbrook secures Nevada approval for PPA with NV Energy

The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) has approved Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners’ 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with NV Energy. The agreement involves the 690MW Gemini Solar and Battery Storage Project.

The Gemini project will be built with an investment of more than $1bn. It will feature a 690MW solar photovoltaic array coupled with a 380MW AC battery storage system.

More than 1,400MWh of low-cost, renewable power will be stored daily and will be supplied to NV Energy’s customers in southern Nevada.

It will be built on nearly 7,100 acres of federally-owned land under the management of the Bureau of Land Management in Clark County, Gemini is owned by Quinbrook’s Low Carbon Power Fund.

Quinbrook co-founder and managing partner David Scaysbrook said: “This decision from the PUCN clears the path for Quinbrook to progress into the final stages of project design and procurement planning for what could be one of the world’s largest-ever renewables projects.

“Gemini plans to showcase at scale what we believe to be one of the most promising technological advances in renewable power.

“The project will demonstrate the ability to couple solar PV technology with battery storage to capture and use Nevada’s abundant renewable solar resource to deliver low-cost power to NV Energy’s customers and keep the lights on long after the sun has set.”

Quinbrook’s partner Arevia Power will oversee the Gemini project’s final stages. During the construction phase, Quinbrook and Arevia estimate that Gemini will support nearly 2,385 jobs and add nearly $463m in economic development value to the Nevada economy.

Once completed, the project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 1.5 million tonnes per year.