BLM backs power line
ELY -- The federal Bureau of Land Management has given the go-ahead for NV Energy to build a 236-mile electricity transmission line from just north of Las Vegas to Ely.
BLM Ely district manager Rosemary Thomas issued a statement Friday calling the project the backbone of Nevada's plans to link solar power stations in the south and geothermal plants in the north.
She said environmental impacts will be minimized.
The 500-kilovolt transmission line is dubbed ON Line. It is jointly owned by Great Basin Transmission South LLC and NV Energy. Construction began in October, with completion expected in 2013.
The Energy Department is loaning $343 million in federal stimulus dollars toward the project.
