Idaho Power provides small decrease to customer rates following Oregon plant closure

In response to the closure of the coal-based Boardman Power Plant in Oregon, Idaho Power has been approved to decrease its customer rates by 0.33 percent. However, a separate application will leave the reductions significantly smaller.

Boardman, which started service in 1980, consists of a single generating unit. Idaho Power owns a 10 percent interest or 58.5 megawatts in Boardman. After certain adjustments, Idaho Power’s annual share is approximately 50 megawatts. Boardman was scheduled to stop operating on Oct. 31, 2020.

As a result of a balancing account process first begun in 2012, when the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) authorized Idaho Power to track the incremental costs and benefits for an early shutdown of Boardman, the 0.33 percent reduction was reached. Separately, in August, Idaho Power submitted to increase the collection percentage of an energy efficiency rider from 2.75 percent of customer base rates to 3.10 percent of base rates. This was approved in December 2020.

The average residential customer using 950 kilowatts per month would yield an approximately $0.29 increase in monthly bills, meaning around $3.50 per year. Balanced with the 0.33 percent decrease, however, things work out just barely toward the decrease end of things, with average residential customers now set for monthly bill decreases of $0.02 per month.

These new rates are now in effect.