C. J. Strike Project
Location
The C.J. Strike Project is about 20 miles southwest of Mountain Home, Idaho. The project sits on the south bank of the Snake River, just below where the Bruneau and Snake rivers meet.
Construction
Idaho Power started building the C.J. Strike Project in 1950. Named for Clifford J. Strike, the project produced energy for the first time in March 1952. Mr. Strike was general manager of Idaho Power from 1938 to 1948.
The project includes a single powerhouse with three generating units. The project also has the following facilities:
- Earth fill dam
- Intake structure
- Three riveted steel penstocks
- Tailrace channel
- Eight-bay spillway
- Switchyard
- Gantry crane
- Three main transformers
- Two, 138-kV transmission lines
- One transformer for auxiliary power
- Reservoir with 36,800 acre-feet of usable storage
Generating Capacity
The C.J. Strike Project has a nameplate capacity of 82.8 MW. Operation varies during different times of the day to meet the changing demand for electricity. This approach is called block loading. Block loading means that two or three units operate when demand is highest during the day and a single unit operates when demand is lowest. Idaho Power determines how many units will operate during peak demand hours by the amount of water flowing into C.J. Strike Reservoir.
