Idaho Falls Power GM to help oversee reactor project

Idaho Falls Power General Manager Bear Prairie is the new Chair of the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP). Prairie was elected to a 3-year term by representatives of the 34 participating utilities involved in UAMPS.

As Chair, he will oversee a committee that is helping develop the Small Modular Reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory.

“This is an important time for Idaho Falls Power and for UAMPS,” said Prairie. “The project is very important for us to be able to maintain our low cost, carbon free energy portfolio, not to mention what it means for SMR development and the nation’s ability to supply power clean, affordable energy throughout the world.”

SMR will attempt to meet key milestones in timeline and cost competitiveness with other power generation resources. The committee will ultimately determine if UAMPS and its members will proceed in the project.

At the same time, Idaho Falls City Councilman John Radford was appointed a member of the American Public Power Association’s Policy Makers Council. Radford will represent the interests of locally owned power utilities at the federal level.