Nevada residents voted to amend the state's constitution to require electric utilities to source 50% of their power from renewable resources by 2030.
The constitutional amendment prevents a future legislature from reversing the existing renewable portfolio standard without the additional say of voters. The vote on Question 6 marks the second and final approval needed for the amendment.
Some 56.4% of voters backed the change, with 75% of precincts reporting, according to the Associated Press.
The state already has an RPS standard of 50% by 2030, signed into law by Democratic Governor Steve Sisolak in 2019. Legislators extended the requirement to all electricity providers in an effort to sweep in large companies exiting from NV Energy.
NV Energy already is pursuing large-scale transmission and solar-plus-storage projects to meet the state's green energy goals.
For the past five years, total generation in the state has been stable with growth in solar, starting from a small base, displacing gas generation, which still accounts for 65% of the total. Remaining coal generation, in the northern part of the state, is likely to retire in the 2022-2025 period, according to S&P Global Platts Analytics.
Question 6, the 50%-by-2030 requirement, was backed by voters a first time in 2018, with nearly 60% voting yes, and required a second affirmative vote to become final.
Twenty-nine states have mandatory renewable portfolio standards, And, according to the group Advanced Energy Economy 10 states have 100% clean energy goals and another five have 100% renewable energy targets.
