03/03: The Nevada Public Utilities Commission (PUC) ruled that nine large commercial customers, two of which were MGM Grand and Park Place Entertainment, could purchase electricity from competitors of Nevada Power Company.
Source: Nevada Public Utilities Commission
http://pucweb1.state.nv.us/PUCN

07/01: Assembly Bill 369 returned electric utilities to regulation, but Assembly Bill 661 allowed eligible large customers, those using 1MW and above, to choose an alternative supplier for power with permission from the State PUC.

07/01: Assembly Bill 661 was enacted, revising and repealing certain provisions of Nevada's restructuring law. The law allowed eligible large customers, those using 1MW and above, to choose an alternative supplier for power with permission from the State PUC. The law also contained provisions to fund low-income energy assistance with a universal energy charge and to revise and repeal various provisions concerning the regulation of public utilities and the process of establishing and changing rates.

07/01: Senate Bill 372 was enacted, requiring the two investor-owned utilities in Nevada to provide 5 percent of their power from renewable resources by 2003, and 15 percent from renewables by 2013. At the time, about 3 percent of electricity in Nevada was generated using renewable energy sources.

05/01: Legislation was enacted to revise and repeal certain provisions of the State's restructuring law governing the regulation of electric utilities. Assembly Bill 369 would return electric utilities to regulation and bar the sale of their power plants before July 1, 2003. Also, utilities would be able to use a deferred accounting method to protect consumers from wholesale price volatility. Retail rates would remain at April 2001 levels, which included the rate increase of over 17 percent approved in March 2001, until early next year when adjustments may be made in accordance with the costs of procured power over the past year. Any needed increases to clear the deferred accounts would be spread out over several years.

03/01: The Governor issued the Nevada Energy Protection Plan, a comprehensive strategy to provide energy reliability, consumer protection, and long-term rate stability to Nevadans. The plan included an indefinite halt to electric utility deregulation at the time due to high demand, low supply, and unstable prices. The plan also re-examined utility plant divestiture, sought to accelerate power plant and transmission line construction, and offered to protect consumers from increasing high energy costs.

01/01: The Governor's energy panel recommended that only large customers be allowed retail choice until supply and wholesale prices become more stable in the western markets. Residential retail access had been put on hold indefinitely.

10/00: Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn extended the deadline for the start of competition for the second time in 2000. The market, which was most recently scheduled to open up for large commercial customers on November 1, 2000, would now open on September 1, 2001, for all customer classes in the State. The Governor cited soaring power prices amid strong demand and short supplies as the reason for delaying competition.

10/00: The PUC approved a $15-million rate increase for Nevada Power Co., which represented a 1.3-percent increase for residential customers. In a July agreement between regulators and utilities, Nevada Power increased rates by $48 million, or 4.7 percent for the average residential customer. Collectively, the July increase and two monthly increases since, boosted residential rates by 7.5 percent, or $5.64 per month for the typical residential customer. Nevada Power had requested the increases in an effort to recover increased costs of fuel and purchased power.

08/00: The PUC set a schedule for opening the retail market in Nevada. The market was scheduled to open November 1, 2000 for the largest commercial customers, in April 2001 for medium commercial customers, and in June 2001 for small commercial customers. Residential customers were scheduled to be phased in from September 1 through December 31, 2001.

07/00: An agreement between regulators and the utilities allowed Sierra Pacific and Nevada Power to recover the increased costs of fuel and purchased power. Nevada Power would be allowed to increase rates by about $48 million or 4.7 percent for the average residential consumer. Even so, the prices for power in southern Nevada at the time remained below that in neighboring States, such as Arizona and California. The agreement would move the State toward implementing retail access.

04/00: Sierra Pacific Resources, the parent company of Nevada Power and Sierra Power, filed suit in Federal court claiming the 1999 Nevada restructuring law was unconstitutional. An issue of disagreement between the PUC and Nevada Power was observed in a rate case, where Nevada Power requested an increase in rates, prior to the rate freeze mandated in restructuring legislation. The PUC ruled against a rate increase, and instead recommended a slight decrease. (03/01: Sierra Power dropped the lawsuit.)

03/00: The Governor delayed opening the retail market, originally scheduled for March 1, indefinitely. Issues to be resolved at the time included funding the Mountain West Independent Scheduling Administrator and decisions on a series of major cases before the PUC regarding unbundling, stranded cost recovery, and rate freezes.

06/99: Senate Bill 438 was enacted to amend the 1997 restructuring legislation, Assembly Bill 366. The bill delayed the opening of the retail market by March 2000, and gave the Governor, rather than the PUC, the authority to select another date if he deemed it in the best interest of consumers. It also capped residential rates for the first 3 years. The bill allowed an incumbent utility to use its name and logo for affiliates competing in the unregulated power market.

04/99: The Senate committee approved a bill that would delay retail access until March 2000 and freeze rates until March 2003.

02/99: The PUC decided to delay deregulation of the electric power industry previously set to begin at the end of 1999 according to legislation passed in July 1997. They cited a list of "unresolved issues," as the reason for the delay.

12/98: The PUC ordered working groups to investigate issues of retail competition. Reports on meter data exchange and stranded costs were scheduled to be due in June 1999.

06/98: The PUC issued an order that defined which utility-related services, aside from selling electricity, could be open to competition. Areas of activity expected to be opened up to competition included metering, billing, and customer service.

03/98: The PUC issued a draft report on the unbundling of services and costs.

11/97: As part of its ongoing investigation, the PUC ordered Nevada Power and Sierra Pacific Power Co to submit filings which demonstrated each distinct component of electric service (unbundled costs). Hearings were scheduled to be held in December 1997.

08/97: The PUC opened a docket to investigate issues to be considered as a result of restructuring.

07/97: Restructuring legislation, Assembly Bill 366, was enacted. The law directed the PUC of Nevada (formally the PSC) to establish a market in which customers had access to potentially competitive electric services from alternative suppliers no later than December 31, 1999.