rPlus Energies host White Pine Pumped Storage Project open house

rPlus Energies held an open house on March 19 at Ely Elks Lodge to discuss the White Pine Pumped Storage Project. 

Leaders from the company were all present to discuss the project and answer questions from the general public.

This is a 1,000 megawatt energy storage project under development in White Pine County. The project represents an energy storage and supply opportunity for Nevada and will serve as an element of the region’s modernized and reliable energy infrastructure. 

According to rPlus, the community benefits from the project include the creation of hundreds of long-term construction jobs and dozens of permanent operation jobs. The project will also provide a major increase to tax revenues for the state and local communities.  

The project’s proposed location is approximately eight miles northeast of Ely and will be situated mostly on Bureau of Land Management land. The project facilities include two water reservoirs, underground generation equipment and a new transmission line. One of the reservoirs will be in the Duck Creek Range, and the other in the Steptoe Valley near Highway 93.  

By using the Robinson Summit Substation they will be able to deliver the power generated through a new 25-mile transmission line connecting the project to the substation. The remaining facilities will consist of access roads to the reservoirs, a transmission switch station and entrance to the access tunnels.

A few questions raised by the public regarded how lighting would affect the night skies and how construction would affect the mountainside.

“We have committed to both the Nevada Northern Railway and within our finalized application that all light used will follow night skies guidelines,” said Greg Copeland. “We have also committed as a part of this process that we will only have lighting that’s necessary for safety purposes. Motion detection lights will be available in order to guide you as you approach a gate or opening.”

Copeland assured the group there would be no excavation of the mountainside. All materials pulled will be used in the construction of the project itself.

As the project continues the licensing process, rPlus will continue to host these engagement opportunities for locals to express their concerns. The public can also reach out to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commision, which will be issuing the license, at https://www.ferc.gov/how-contact-ferc. More information on the project can be found at https://www.whitepinepumpedstorage.com.