Idaho Power
Company type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Electrical generation, distribution |
Founded | October 1, 1989, previously May 6, 1915 |
Headquarters | Boise, Idaho, United States, previously Maine |
Key people | Darrel Anderson, president and chief executive officer, IDACORP, Inc. and Idaho Power[1] |
Number of employees | 2,028 full time employees (2007)[2] |
Parent | IDACORP, Inc |
Website | www.idahopower.com |
Idaho Power Company (IPC) is a regulated electrical power utility. Its business involves the purchase, sale, generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in eastern Oregon and southern Idaho. It is a subsidiary of IDACORP, Inc. The company's 24,000-square-mile (62,000 km2) service area generally follows the area around the Snake River and its tributaries.
Idaho Power owns and operates 17 hydroelectric dams[3] and 3 natural gas power plants. IPC also owns shares of three coal-fired power plants.[4]
In 2007, electricity sold by IPC was 33% hydroelectric, 39% thermal, and 28% purchased from other generation companies.[5]
History
Idaho Power Company originally filed for incorporation in Maine on May 6, 1915. It was reincorporated in Idaho as a subsidiary of IDACORP, Inc on October 1, 1998.[2] This was followed by the purchase of the assets of five small southern Idaho power companies: Idaho-Oregon Light & Power; Great Shoshone and Twin Falls Water Power; Idaho Railway, Light & Power; Idaho Power & Light; and Southern Idaho Water Power Company.[6]
In 2018 Idaho Power sponsored the annual "Drive Electric Week" car show event at the state capitol. At the show people can learn about electric vehicles.[7] Interest in electric vehicles has increased because of changing gas prices, improvements in battery technology, concerns for the environment and federal tax incentives for buying electric vehicles. To respond to customer interest, Idaho Power added tools to its website to guide customers investigating purchasing an electric vehicle.[8]
Hydroelectricity
IPC's 17 hydroelectric power plants have a generation nameplate capacity of 1,988,615 kilowatts,[3] and it is one of the nation's few investor-owned utilities with a significant hydroelectric generating base. Four-fifths of Idaho’s electricity generation is from hydroelectric.[9] Idaho Power built the majority of its hydroelectric facilities during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, culminating with completion of the three-dam Hells Canyon Complex (Brownlee Dam, Oxbow Dam, then Hells Canyon Dam) in 1968.[6]
- American Falls Dam power plant at river mile 714.7.
- Milner Dam power plant at river mile 639.1.
- Twin Falls power plant at river mile 617.4.[10]
- Shoshone Falls power plant at river mile 614.7.
- Clear Lake power plant at river mile 593.0.[11]
- Thousand Springs power plant at river mile 584.7.[11]
- "Mid-Snakes Project" in Central Idaho on the Snake River consisting of the Upper Salmon Falls power plant (river mile 580.8), the Lower Salmon Falls power plant (river mile 573.0), and the Bliss Dam power plant at river mile 560.3.[12]
- "The Malads": Upper Malad and Lower Malad power plants at river mile 571.2.[13]
- Cascade Dam power plant on the Payette River.
- C. J. Strike Dam power plant at river mile 494.0.
- Swan Falls Dam power plant at river mile 457.7.[14]
- "Hells Canyon Complex": Brownlee Dam power plant at river mile 285.0, Oxbow Dam power plant at river mile 272, and the Hells Canyon Dam power plant at river mile 251.
See also
References
- ^ Idaho Power Corporation. Executive Profiles. March 10, 2011.
- ^ a b Idaho Power Company. Company Information. March 10, 2011.
- ^ a b Idaho Power Company. Hydroelectric Archived 2009-12-19 at the Wayback Machine. March 10, 2011.
- ^ Idaho Power Company. Thermal. March 10, 2011.
- ^ Idaho Power Company. Facts. March 10, 2011.
- ^ a b "Idaho Power - About Us - Our Company". Retrieved December 2, 2011.
- ^ "Electric Cars On Display in Boise; Advanced Electric Vehicle Charging Station Online in Huntington, Oregon - Idaho Power". Idaho Power. 2018-09-06. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- ^ TIMES-NEWS. "Idaho Power helps customers choose electric vehicles". Twin Falls Times-News. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- ^ "Idaho - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". Retrieved December 2, 2011.
- ^ "Idaho Power - Our Environment - Recreation - Parks - Shoshone and Twin Falls". Retrieved December 2, 2011.
- ^ a b "Idaho Power - Our Environment - Recreation - Parks - Hagerman". Retrieved December 2, 2011.
- ^ "Idaho Power - About Us - Our Power Plants - Relicensing - Mid-Snake Projects". Archived from the original on October 1, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
- ^ "Idaho Power - About Us - Our Power Plants - Malad Project". Retrieved December 2, 2011.
- ^ "Idaho Power - About Us - Relicensing - Swan Falls Project". Retrieved December 2, 2011.