Dive Brief:

• The Nevada Public Utilities Commission approved the $5.6 billion deal for Warren Buffett's MidAmerican Energy Holding's Co. to buy NV Energy.
• MidAmerican agreed to a set of 34 commitments related to the deal, including refunding utility customers $20 million. The company also agreed to study why NV Energy has low customer satisfaction ratings in southern Nevada.
• The deal is now waiting on approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which could come as soon as this week.

Dive Insight:

The deal will have an effect on the Western power markets. NV Energy had been skeptical about the benefits of energy imbalance markets (EIM), which can make grid operations more efficient and help integrate renewable generation. But after the deal with MidAmerican was announced, NV Energy reversed course and said it would join an EIM being developed by the California Independent System Operator and PacifiCorp, also owned by MidAmerican Energy.