Lyon County, Nevada: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Fernley and Yerington
New generation is lining up in Lyon County. 1,400 MW of new generation is planned here across 2 units, led by Libra Solar LLC (battery storage), the 2nd largest pipeline among Nevada's counties. 1,400 MW of it is already under construction or built. Lyon County is home to Fernley and Yerington. Construction employs 1,137, up 8.7% since 2019, and construction is 1.6 times as concentrated here as in the U.S. economy. Owners plan to retire 230 MW more by 2035, led by Fort Churchill in 2028. Employers here counted 13,776 jobs in 2025, up 8.1% from 2019 (the 7th fastest growth of 17 Nevada counties).
Cities and towns in Lyon County
Lyon County is home to Fernley and Yerington.
Unincorporated communities (governed by the county): Dayton, Silver City, Silver Springs, Smith Valley, Stagecoach.
Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.
What changed in Lyon County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Nevada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 59,464 | 65,088 | ▲ 9.5% | 3rd of 17 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 12,747 | 13,776 | ▲ 8.1% | 7th of 17 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $45,583 | $59,470 | ▲ 30.5% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 1,046 | 1,137 | ▲ 8.7% | 5th of 7 by growth |
| Electric utility jobs (2019 → 2025) | 43 | 68 | ▲ 58.1% | — |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 4.3% | 3.9% | ▼ 0.4pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Planned generation (Aug 2026) | — | 1,400 MW | 496% of today's fleet | 2nd of 7 by size |
Its power plants have 282 MW of capacity, 81% of it natural gas, the 8th largest fleet in Nevada. 65,088 people live here, up 9.5% since 2020, 3rd of 17 Nevada counties by population. Sierra Pacific Power Co is the largest utility serving Lyon County. Its residential customers paid an average 14.52¢/kWh in 2024, above the 10.69¢ median for Nevada utilities. Unemployment was 3.9% in August 2026, against 4.3% in 2019.
Who powers Lyon County
Utilities with service territory in Lyon County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Pacific Power Co | Investor Owned | Bundled | 330,891 | 14.52¢ | 42% |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
Operating power plants 4
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Natural gas | 230 MW | 81% |
| Other technologies | 32 MW | 11% |
| Solar | 20 MW | 7% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Churchill | Sierra Pacific Power Co | Natural gas | 230 MW | 1968 |
| Desert Peak Power Plant | Ormat Nevada Inc | Other technologies | 26 MW | 2006 |
| Ft. Churchill PV | Sierra Pacific Power Co | Solar | 20 MW | 2015 |
| Whitegrass No. 1 | Open Mountain Energy LLC. | Other technologies | 6 MW | 2018 |
Planned generation 2
| Plant | Technology | MW | Status | Year | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libra Solar | Batteries | 700 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Libra Solar LLC |
| Libra Solar | Solar Photovoltaic | 700 MW | Under construction (≤50%) | 2027 | Libra Solar LLC |
Scheduled to retire
| Plant | Technology | MW | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Churchill | Natural gas | 230 MW | 2028 |
The Lyon County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 13,776 | $59,470 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 1,137 | $72,539 | 1.56 |
| Electric utilities | 68 | $130,353 | 1.82 |
Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.
Data centers and local rules in Lyon County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Lyon County. Nevada has 11 local measures on record statewide.
Lyon County and its neighbors
Of the 7 counties that border Lyon County, Washoe County carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.
| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lyon County | 65,088 | ▲ 8.1% | 282 MW | 1,400 MW | — | — |
| Carson City | 58,571 | ▲ 6.1% | 6 MW | — | — | — |
| Churchill County | 25,851 | ▲ 8.3% | 778 MW | 400 MW | — | — |
| Douglas County | 50,111 | ▲ 9.7% | — | — | — | — |
| Mineral County | 4,407 | ▼ 35.3% | 90 MW | — | — | — |
| Mono County CA | 12,505 | ▲ 8.5% | 187 MW | — | — | — |
| Storey County | 4,260 | ▲ 19.3% | 1,168 MW | 1 MW | 10 | — |
| Washoe County | 509,386 | ▲ 7.4% | 668 MW | — | 17 | — |
More of Nevada
Lyon County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Lyon County, Nevada?
1 utility has service territory in Lyon County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Sierra Pacific Power Co. The largest, Sierra Pacific Power Co, charged residential customers 14.52¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What county is Fernley, NV in?
Fernley is in Lyon County, Nevada. About 26,214 people live there (2025 Census estimate).
What power plants are in Lyon County?
4 operating plants with 282 MW of capacity. The largest is Fort Churchill (230 MW, natural gas).
How much new power is planned in Lyon County?
1,400 MW across 2 units in the August 2026 EIA-860M inventory, 1,400 MW of it under construction or built. The largest owner is Libra Solar LLC.
Are there data centers in Lyon County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Lyon County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Washoe County.
Is Lyon County adding jobs?
Employers counted 13,776 jobs in 2025 against 12,747 in 2019 (+8.1%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 1,046 to 1,137.
Does Lyon County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Lyon County. Nevada has 11 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.