Gov. Joe Lombardo has jumped into Nevada’s latest energy brawl, throwing his support behind a proposed Great Basin Gas Transmission expansion that would sharply increase natural gas deliveries to northern Nevada’s booming data center scene. The project, now in front of federal regulators, would add roughly 800 dekatherms of capacity to an 898‑mile system and push new pipeline infrastructure into the Tahoe‑Reno Industrial Center. His backing has turned an already heated debate over water supplies, renewable energy goals and who pays for new power plants into a full‑blown political storyline.
What the plan would build
In a February letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Lombardo wrote that the project “would add approximately 800 dekatherms of capacity” to the system, according to the Nevada Current. Filings say the pipeline currently averages about 200 dekatherms a day and that the application seeks more than 200 miles of new or upgraded pipe, including a spur to the Tahoe‑Reno Industrial Center in Storey County. If built, the expansion would be aimed squarely at serving hyperscale facilities already rising at TRIC.
Who’s pitching the work and the timeline
Great Basin Gas Transmission Company, a Southwest Gas subsidiary, told investors it has closed a supplemental open season and lined up shipper requests totaling nearly 800 million cubic feet per day. The company pegs capital costs at roughly $1.7 billion and is targeting an in‑service date of Nov. 1, 2028, per the company’s press release. The project is now before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under docket CP25‑209, where staff have prepared environmental review materials as part of the public process. Both Great Basin and FERC list the filing and related notices.
Local backlash and politics
Lombardo’s explicit support has drawn fire from local Democrats and environmental advocates. Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill, who is running in the Democratic primary, said she “would not have intervened to expand natural gas capacity,” and Attorney General Aaron Ford has previously alleged that the governor meddled with utility regulation, as reported by This Is Reno. The governor’s campaign counters that the Public Utilities Commission operates independently and says the administration backs data centers only when they do not shift costs onto ratepayers.
City moves to pause new permits
All of this is unfolding while Reno’s elected leaders try to tap the brakes on the very facilities that would likely use the new gas. The Reno City Council voted 6‑1 to extend a moratorium on new data center approvals through August 2027, a pause meant to give officials time to craft rules for permitting and community impacts, according to KOLO‑TV.
Energy stakes: grid capacity and renewables
Utility interconnection records show multiple NV Energy queue requests in Storey County, including projects listed with Nov. 1, 2028 completion dates, that would add on‑site natural gas generation capacity near TRIC, per Interconnection.fyi. NV Energy’s planning documents also anticipate additional gas peaking units to help meet near‑term peak demand in northern Nevada, a sign of how quickly load expectations are shifting. At issue is how new fossil fuel capacity would coexist with Nevada’s renewable targets and whether rapid data center growth will be required to finance or speed up more clean energy generation.
Regulatory path and what to watch
The Great Basin application must secure FERC authorization and clear a full environmental review before any construction can start, and the CP25‑209 docket will serve as the public arena for that scrutiny, including comments and potential mitigation requirements. If FERC and other agencies sign off, local officials and political campaigns will be watching construction schedules and decisions about who ultimately pays for broader grid upgrades.
Bottom line
The pipeline fight now bundles together jobs and investment promises from hyperscalers, neighborhood worries over water and air quality, and statewide energy goals. It is both a complex regulatory proceeding and a political flashpoint as Nevada heads toward the fall election cycle. For those keeping score at home, the FERC docket and Reno’s data center moratorium process are the places to watch for the next concrete moves.
