Situation
Apple, Inc., wanted a reliable and renewable source of electricity for its new 90,000-square-foot data center near Reno, NV. NV Energy’s Green Energy Initiative allows companies to contract with the utility for the development of renewable power facilities to offset energy use at a specific facility. The two parties collaborated to achieve their goals in a first-of-its-kind renewable energy transaction.
Result
NV Energy and Apple partnered to construct a 20-megawatt, 137-acre photovoltaic solar plant that will generate approximately 43.5 million kilowatt hours of clean energy. The plant is being constructed on property owned by NV Energy, but the plant itself will be owned, initially, by Apple. Apple will use the solar power to offset the electricity load for its data center. NV Energy will lease, operate and maintain the facility, with a future option to purchase. Husch Blackwell’s Energy Group represented NV Energy throughout the project, from structuring the transaction to lease, development and renewable energy agreements.