Nevada utility regulators have given conditional approval to two methane gas power plants proposed by data center developers in Storey County, even after more than two hours of public testimony pushed back against the projects. Now, with the state's broader Integrated Resource Plan docket still open, residents can weigh in through a new online consumer survey rather than an in-person session.
An Online Survey Replaces an In-Person Hearing
The Bureau of Consumer Protection is asking Nevadans for feedback on data centers, affordability, reliability, new power generation projects, and the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada itself, according to KTNV. The bureau, which represents residential and small-business ratepayers in PUCN proceedings, replaced what would have been an in-person consumer session about NV Energy's Integrated Resource Plan with the online survey after the commission determined a post-filing consumer session was not in the public interest, per a BCP press release cited by the station. That plan is tied to Docket No. 26-05007, and the Nevada Attorney General's office confirmed the survey's launch on September 4, noting the commission is scheduled to issue a final decision on the docket by December 31, 2026, according to the Office of the Nevada Attorney General. The survey is available in both English and Spanish, and residents can also track filings through the PUCN's document search website or the commission's public calendar of meetings and docket topics.
That backdrop of shrinking in-person access comes as the commission has also been approving major new fossil-fuel generation projects tied to the state's data center boom. PUCN commissioners conditionally approved construction of two methane gas power plants proposed by data center developers in Storey County, even though the public spoke for more than two hours in opposition, KTNV reported. Storey County and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection are both still reviewing the projects separately.
Fleet Data Centers Says It Can't Wait For The Grid
The developer behind the plants, Fleet Data Centers, is a subsidiary of Tract Capital Management and told regulators through docket documents that its power needs exceed NV Energy's current ability to supply electricity for new developments, per the same KTNV report. Filings reviewed by IDCNOVA show the two plants would total 360 megawatts at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center — enough capacity to power roughly 396,000 homes — and Fleet has described the gas plants as a temporary two- to three-year bridge until NV Energy can expand permanent grid service to the area. The facilities are designed to supply Fleet's Peru Ridge and South Valley campuses.
Documents filed by Nevadans for Clean Affordable Reliable Energy, the only organization that intervened in the Storey County case, indicate the new plants could burn roughly three times as much methane gas as NV Energy's entire Northern Nevada residential and commercial customer base consumes, the station reported. Justin Hopson, a clean energy organizer with the Faith Organizing Alliance, criticized the commission's public engagement and the broader question of energy equity in the case. In Las Vegas, Nick Christensen said PUCN general counsel Garrett Weir's explanation of the process was factually accurate but tone deaf.
A Legal Loophole Around The Renewable Standard
Fleet's plants sidestep a key state climate law because the company argues it operates as a self-supplying private facility owner rather than a public electric utility, a distinction that matters because Nevada Senate Bill 358 requires electric utilities to hit a 50% Renewable Portfolio Standard by 2030 — a benchmark NV Energy neared in 2025 at nearly 48% renewable compliance, according to FOX5 Las Vegas. Because state statute defines electrical service providers around a public utility model, private generation projects like Fleet's fall outside that mandate, as detailed by The Nevada Independent.
Weir also addressed why the more than two hours of public testimony could not simply sway the commission's decision, saying public comments made after the evidentiary record is created cannot be relied upon by law. That constraint reflects Nevada administrative procedure rules requiring PUCN commissioners to base contested-docket decisions on sworn evidence submitted by official intervening parties rather than unsworn comments filed after the record closes, per KTNV's reporting. The Bureau of Consumer Protection itself did not participate in the Storey County hearing.
Who Sits On The Three-Person Commission
The PUCN board has three commissioners, all appointed by the Nevada governor. Chair Hayley Williamson and Commissioner Tammy Cordova were originally appointed by then-Governor Steve Sisolak and were later reappointed by Governor Joe Lombardo, who also appointed Commissioner Randy Brown. Community advocate Tony Chavez, who serves on the board of the 18b Las Vegas Arts District, criticized the commission's approval of the power plants.
Tract Capital's footprint in the area is already substantial. The company has acquired more than 11,000 acres in Storey County since 2023, including the 1,534-acre South Valley Technology Park designed to support up to 1,215 megawatts of long-term data center capacity, according to research cited by Barrio Energy. Hoodline previously reported on the scale of that buildout in a mega-campus larger than SF.
Lawmakers Eye Reforms Ahead Of Next Session
Frustration over limited public access to PUCN decision-making has already reached the Legislature. Bill draft requests were filed with state lawmakers ahead of the next legislative session that would expand the PUCN to include three consumer-protection members, per KTNV. The Legislature's Joint Interim Standing Committee on Government Affairs approved one such measure, Bill Draft Request 498, on August 27, proposing to revise the PUCN's public hearing process to improve public access ahead of the 2027 session, according to the Nevada Legislature.
The stakes behind these fights trace back to how fast data center demand has outpaced utility planning. NV Energy's own long-range forecasts show data centers made up about 5% of the utility's total electricity sales in 2026 but are projected to climb to roughly 64% of statewide sales and 82% for its northern Nevada subsidiary, Sierra Pacific Power Company, by 2046, according to Nevada Current. Hoodline detailed that surge earlier this year in a data center power and water alarm, as the rapid load growth has forced regulators statewide to reexamine how new infrastructure costs are shared between tech developers and everyday ratepayers.
