Idaho Power submits Integrated Resource Plan for review
Idaho Power recently published its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which lays out how the company plans to serve its customers’ electricity needs through 2036.
The company’s 2017 IRP predicts that customer demand for electricity will continue to increase moderately over the coming years and that current resources will be capable of meeting that demand through 2025.
Through 2036, Idaho Power expects average energy demand to grow by 0.9 percent annually and peak-hour demand to increase by 1.4 percent each year. The number of customers is projected to increase to 756,000 by 2036 from 534,000 in 2016.
“This plan is the result of a public process that brings together stakeholder input and careful analysis to create a roadmap for continuing to serve our customers with reliable, environmentally responsible energy at a fair price,” Tess Park, Idaho Power’s vice president of power supply, said.
The IRP also outlines Idaho Power’s continued transition from coal-fired resources. The company will work with co-owner PacifiCorp to retire early two of the four units at the Jim Bridger coal-fired plant in Wyoming. It will also work with NV Energy on the early retirement of the two units at the North Valmy coal-fired plant in Nevada. The Boardman plant in Oregon is scheduled to stop coal-fired operations at the end of 2020.
Idaho Power also owns 17 hydroelectric dams on the Snake River and its tributaries as well as three natural gas-fired plants. The company is seeking to add a new transmission line for additional electricity imports from the Pacific Northwest.
