https://calmatters.org/economy/2026/03/nevada-utility-to-lake-tahoe-find-electricity-elsewhere/ Nonprofit & Nonpartisan News * About Us * Newsletters * Donate About Newsletters Search * Politics * Justice * Environment * Economy * Health * Housing * Education * Inequality * Digital Democracy * Technology * Commentary * Daily Newsletter * Explainers * Data & Trackers * Programs + California Divide + Knowledge Hub + CalMatters for Learning + College Journalism Network + Mental Health Reporting Initiative + What's Working + Youth Journalism * Events * Donate + Manage your donation * Newsletters * About Us + Impact + News and Awards + Funding + Policies + Sponsorship + Our Team + Jobs * Inside the Newsroom * CalMatters en Espanol * Videos CalMatters is your nonprofit and nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to explaining how state government impacts our lives. * Bluesky * Instagram * Facebook * X * TikTok * LinkedIn * YouTube * Track Your Legislator * Politics * Immigration * Housing * Education * Economy * Environment * California Voices * Impact * Events Posted inEconomy Nevada utility to Lake Tahoe: Find electricity elsewhere Avatar photo by Malena Carollo March 20, 2026 Republish Share this: * Share on X (Opens in new window) X * Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp * An aerial view shows a snow-covered mountain town at dusk, with rooftops dusted in white and warm lights glowing along a main street. A large hotel complex and nearby buildings cluster at the center, while forested slopes and ski runs rise behind them under a fading blue sky. The Lake Tahoe area needs a new energy partner by May 2027. South Lake Tahoe on Feb. 9, 2024. Photo by George Rose, Getty Images In summary Lake Tahoe's longtime power supplier, NV Energy, will cut off the region next year. It has said data centers are driving "unprecedented" demand. Welcome to CalMatters, the only nonprofit newsroom devoted solely to covering issues that affect all Californians. Sign up for WhatMatters to receive the latest news and commentary on the most important issues in the Golden State. A utility serving 49,000 Lake Tahoe customers has a little over a year to find a new source for 75% of its power. Liberty Utilities, one of California's three smaller investor-owned power companies, alerted regulators this month that its main power supplier won't continue its contract after May 2027. Liberty, whose territory sits on the border of California and Nevada, generates about 25% of its power from solar facilities in Nevada. The rest is purchased through Nevada-based NV Energy, which said that it wouldn't be able to continue this arrangement because of its "own resource needs," Liberty told regulators this month. "Our absolute goal is twofold: We want to achieve our renewable requirements in the state, and we also want it to be as affordable as possible," Eric Schwarzrock, president of Liberty, said. The replacement power is most likely to come from sources outside of California. Liberty is not physically connected to California's energy market, which serves the state's other electric utilities. Instead, its transmission lines come from Nevada. Liberty's deadline for replacement power is tied to a major transmission project - Greenlink Nevada - that NV Energy is finishing; when that is complete, NV Energy will stop providing Liberty power, but Liberty will gain the rights to use that transmission infrastructure to reach other sources of replacement energy. In a statement, NV Energy said it is "aware of Liberty Utilities' advice letter to California regulators and is currently reviewing it." Data centers have driven requests to triple the company's peak capacity, NV Energy's director of business development said at a regional business event in September, as first reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "These are unprecedented times," he said during a panel discussion of the centers, adding, "we are excited to serve this load" but "we cannot impact our existing customer base." Liberty's letter to the California Public Utilities Commission about the change also sought approval to undertake a process for replacing the power and how it would rank proposals it receives, namely seeking the lowest-cost power. Once the commission approves its requests, commission spokesperson Terrie Prosper said, Liberty would choose its new energy supplier and seek approval from the regulator on the final contract. 1. Just the right amount of news 2. Just the right amount of news 1. Get California's most essential headlines without feeling overwhelmed. 2. Get California's most essential headlines without feeling overwhelmed. [Asset-4] Email address [ ] By clicking subscribe, you agree to the terms. [Sign up for free] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] D[ ] Liberty, Schwarzrock said, plans to bid its contract out to "anybody and everybody," focusing first on meeting its renewable energy requirements California sets. The utility's unusual peak season, he said, makes it a favorable partner for energy providers. Whereas most utilities in the region peak in summer, when it's hottest, Liberty's peak season is around Christmas when those with second homes at Lake Tahoe arrive for the winter ski season. Read more from CalMatters [engage_text] Text Get breaking news on your phone. [engage_down] Download Keep up with the latest via our app. [engage_subs] Sign up Receive free updates in your inbox. Nonpartisan, independent California news for all We're CalMatters, your nonprofit and nonpartisan news guide. Our journalists are here to empower you and our mission continues to be essential. * We are independent and nonpartisan. Our trustworthy journalism is free from partisan politics, free from corporate influence and actually free for all Californians. * We are focused on California issues. From the environment to homelessness, economy and more, we publish the unfettered truth to keep you informed. * We hold people in power accountable. We probe and reveal the actions and inactions of powerful people and institutions, and the consequences that follow. But we can't keep doing this without support from readers like you. [Asset-2ii-2] Please give what you can today. Every gift helps. GIVE NOW Avatar photo Malena CarolloBusiness Reporter malena@calmatters.org * Malena Carollo investigates broken systems and wrongdoing. Her most recent investigation found that a sweeping change to an algorithm deciding who gets a life-saving liver transplant hurt patients in... More by Malena Carollo Republish Nevada utility to Lake Tahoe: Find electricity elsewhere We love that you want to share our stories with your readers. Hundreds of publications republish our work on a regular basis. 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