Avista’s Post Falls hydropower plant in Idaho gets DOE funding for improvements
A project to modernize the Post Falls Hydroelectric Development in Northern Idaho has been selected to receive a $5 million Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentive from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
The project, being developed by Avista, calls for replacing the existing aging equipment with more modern and energy-efficient designs and equipment to increase the useful life of the facility. The planned updates will not change the operations of the Post Falls dam.
The DOE’s Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentives support the continued operation of the U.S. hydropower fleet to create a more reliable and resilient electric grid system.
“This is an exciting milestone for the Post Falls Hydroelectric Development modernization project. This facility has generated renewable and reliable energy for Avista customers in eastern Washington and northern Idaho for the last 118 years. With the investments we’re making today, thanks in part to grant funds like these, we expect to extend the life of the Post Falls Dam well into the future,” Scott Kinney, vice president of energy resources for Avista, said.
Avista received a new 50-year license in 2009 for its Spokane River hydro system which includes Post Falls.
Avista Utilities provides energy services and electricity to 411,000 customers and natural gas to 377,000 customers in a service territory that covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon.
