In an advisory opinion, the Nevada Public Utility Commission said it saw no legal problem with a temporary relationship between Google and NV Energy for electric service, as a means of getting around utility exit fees.
The Nevada Independent reports that the action would allow Google to avoid the large “exit fee” typically assessed to other large electric customers who apply to leave the utility.
PUC chairman Joe Reynolds wrote that Google’s plan to enter into a temporary relationship with the utility before applying for electricity on the open market was acceptable under existing law and that the exit process was, in his words, “not intended to hinder growth or economic development.”
Google has purchased more than 1,200 acres of land at the Reno-Tahoe Industrial Park near the Tesla gigafactory for $29.1 million.
The Wall Street Journal reports the site was intended to eventually host a Google data center.