Regulators approve energy services agreement between Idaho Power, Brisbie-owned data center
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) last week approved an energy service agreement that will allow Idaho Power to provide electric service to a large new data center owned by Brisbie, LLC, once it goes into service in the Kuna, Idaho, area.
The center will use between 10,000-20,000 kW of power, and given the large stature of the draw, Idaho PUC staff had to review the arrangement and guarantee Idaho Power’s existing customers would not face increased rates as a result. Supporting documents from Idaho Power, and an evaluation of the agreement at large, addressed those concerns, particularly regarding impact to the system and cost structure.
Idaho Power noted that it plans to obtain enough renewable resources to meet Brisbie’s initial annual energy requirements in the short-term. These will flow from both a power purchase agreement and the building/obtaining of other resources to meet the data center’s energy requirements in the future. That renewable aspect will be key, as Brisbie itself plans to support all of its operations through the addition of renewable resources, which would in turn be connected to Idaho Power’s system.
