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NV Energy outlines Greenlink transmission route through Reno; landowners and residents press questions
Summary
NV Energy and consultant WSP presented the Mira Loma–Walker River 345 kV line, describing 85–140-foot structures, a tentative spring 2027 construction window and peak crews of 200–400; Sunny Hills Ranchos and other speakers urged the city to enforce owner-authorization rules and raised property-rights concerns.
NV Energy representatives and consultants briefed Ward 3's neighborhood advisory board on the Greenlink Nevada transmission project and a city conditional-use permit (CUP) for the Mira Loma–Walker River 345 kV common-tie segment. Charles Hutchinson (WSP) described the corridor inside the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction and said the route includes about 3.6 miles within Reno's jurisdiction. "All total, it's about 3.6 miles, in the city's jurisdiction," Hutchinson said, and explained towers will be engineered site-by-site.
The presenters showed typical tower types and heights—tangent structures generally about 85 to 125 feet and angle/dead-end structures typically between 75 and 140 feet—and explained visualization/photo simulations prepared to show visual impacts. They said permitting includes Public Utilities Commission of Nevada review (UIPA for facilities over 200 kV) as well as state and federal environmental approvals. Construction in Reno is tentatively scheduled for spring 2027, and NV Energy estimated peak construction crews could number "approximately 200 to 400 people" moving about project areas during peak activity.
Board members and residents questioned alternatives (undergrounding), property impacts and rate effects. NV Energy's Shahzad Latif said high-voltage transmission at 345 kV is rarely feasible to place underground due to engineering and cost constraints: "It's very, very cost prohibitive," he said, adding undergrounding would typically require substations about every 4–5 miles and large capital expenditures. Latif said the Greenlink program was approved by the PUCN as providing benefit to northern Nevada and that it increases import capacity into the region.
Public commenters raised property-rights and application completeness concerns. Jackson Crawford, speaking for Sunny Hills Ranchos (owner of parcels affected by the alignment), said NV Energy did not include owner authorization in its application and that Sunny Hills does not consent to the project. "NV Energy did not submit the owner authorization required by the city's land use regulations. Sunny Hills does not consent to the project," Crawford told the board and urged the city to deny the CUP. NV Energy acknowledged its initial submission had missing owner-authority documentation and said it later resubmitted materials and that city planning deemed the application complete after resubmission. Council and staff said follow-up with regional planning and the city's permitting processes will continue.
The board asked for more outreach and asked NV Energy to respond to landowner documentation and visual-impact concerns as the project moves through planning commission and council review.
