Idaho Power submits clean energy plan

Idaho Power plans to provide 100% clean energy by 2045 and has now released its long-term plan to accomplish that goal.

The 2019 Integrated Resource Plan was filed with the Idaho Public Utilities Commissions in Idaho and Oregon on June 28.

“This plan shows the way forward,” said Tess Park, Idaho Power’s Vice President of Power Supply. “We see less coal, more solar and increased transmission capacity from the Northwest, while hydropower remains the backbone of our system.”

The 20-year plan examines the cost, reliability, and potential risk of the utility’s current energy sources and resources that may be needed to meet growing demand.

Idaho Power used a computer model to analyze a range of options including possible energy mixes, costs, reliability, and risk.

Its preferred plan calls for exiting five of seven coal-fired units the company owns by the end of 2026 and connecting 220 megawatts of solar within the next four years. The plan also calls for bringing the Boardman to Hemingway 500-kilovolt transmission project online by 2026.

Idaho Power projects that will serve an increase of approximately 10,900 customers each year during the next two decades. Its peak load (summer) would grow an average of 50 megawatts per year and its energy need will increase by over 20 megawatts per year on average.

The Idaho PUC is expected to set a schedule for public comment and will provide its response to the plan later this year.

You can view the Idaho Power plan here.