Idaho Public Utilities Commission schedules hearing over proposed transmission line

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission will hear testimony from the public next week during a hearing on
an Idaho Power Company proposal to build a second transmission line in the Wood River Valley.

The hearing, set for July 26 in Ketchum, Idaho, seeks testimony on what the Idaho Power Company is
calling a necessary construction. Their reasoning is that redundancy is necessary in their system, not just for increased reliability for customers, but because their existing transmission line is in need of rebuilding.
Doing so without a second line in place could cause long-term disruption of its approximately 9,000 customers in the area–a problem exacerbated by the area’s difficult terrain.

The need for a second power source was identified as far back as the 1970s, following the original line’s construction in 1962. While the Commission had authorized the company to build under a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity back in 1995, the company subsequently withdrew that request after the public opposed the aesthetic, health and safety impacts represented by the second line.

Currently, the Idaho Power Company has listed four route options for its new line, which range in cost from $30 million to $45.9 million. The options include a mix of overhead and underground work, each option involving approximately 7.5 miles of work.