A 144-page document released this week by Idaho Power reinforces
hydroelectric power's importance to the company's long-term success and
survival. The report, called the Integrated Resource Plan, was submitted to the
pubic utilities commissions of both Idaho and Oregon and details the
corporation's "commitment to serving our customers with reliable,
environmentally-responsible energy at a fair price," Idaho Power senior vice president Lisa Grow said.
The plan evaluates a 20-year period extending through 2034, during
which time Idaho Power's load is forecast to grow by 1.2% per year and
its peak-hour demand by 1.5% per year. Meanwhile, the utility's service
base, which currently includes about 516,000 customers in southern Idaho
and eastern Oregon, is expected to grow to about 711,000. The plan submitted for evaluation was selected after an advisory
council evaluated computer models of 23 portfolios that projected costs
of "operating different combinations of resources based on a wide range
of variables", according to a company release.
These models not only accounted for Idaho Power's growing demands for
power, but also natural gas prices, increased costs for carbon
regulation, and future integration of other resources. "A key component of Idaho Power's preferred resource portfolio is
maintaining its low-cost baseload power anchored by 17 hydroelectric
projects that provide roughly half of the electricity delivered to Idaho
Power customers in an average year," the company said. "Those hydro
projects, in addition to the company's natural gas-fired plants, are
increasingly needed to offset the variable nature of wind, solar and
other renewable resources."
Idaho Power's hydro portfolio includes the American Falls, Bliss,
Brownlee, C.J. Strike, Clear Lake, Cascade, Hells Canyon, Lower and
Upper Malad, Milner, Oxbow, Lower and Upper Salmon, Shoshone Falls, Swan
Falls, Thousand Springs and Twin Falls projects. The Integrated Resource Plan is the company's 12th, which updates the
document every two years using guidelines established by the Idaho and
Oregon public utility commissions. The document is subject to a public
review process, with meetings about the plan to be held in the utility's
service area later this year.
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/articles/2015/07/idaho-power-emphasizes-hydroelectric-power-s-importance-in-most-recent-integrated-resource-plan.html