Mid-Snake Projects
The Upper Salmon Falls, Lower Salmon Falls and Bliss projects are among the 17 hydropower projects that Idaho Power owns and operates on the Snake River and its tributaries. The three projects are known collectively as the Mid-Snake Projects
The Mid-Snake Projects operate under licenses issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC. Idaho Power intends to continue operating these projects for the benefit of its owners and customers.
In December 1995, Idaho Power filed an application to relicense the projects. In 1997, these licenses expired and the projects operated on annual licenses. In August 2004, FERC granted Idaho Power new 30-year licenses for all three Mid-Snake hydroelectric projects.
Location
The Mid-Snake Projects are located on the Snake River in south-central Idaho near the cities of Hagerman and Bliss, Idaho. The projects span more than 25 miles, from the main diversion dam at the Upper Salmon Falls Project downstream to the Bliss Dam. Between these facilities are the Lower Salmon Falls Dam and a free-flowing stretch of the Snake River known as the Wiley Reach.
Construction
Development at the Upper Salmon Falls Project began about 1911, before Idaho Power existed. Idaho Power Company incorporated in 1916 and in 1931 began constructing the existing diversion and canal system. The rest of the Upper Salmon Falls Project was constructed during two phases in 1937 and 1947.
In 1909, the Greater Shoshone and Twin Falls Water Power Company began its small project, the Lower Salmon Falls Dam. Idaho Power upgraded the project in 1919 and again in 1935. Then during 1948 and 1949, Idaho Power upgraded it to what you see today. The Bliss Project was also constructed between 1948 and 1950.
Generating Capacity
Collectively, the Mid-Snake Projects have a nameplate capacity of 169.5 MW. Idaho Power can operate Lower Salmon Falls and Bliss projects in a limited, load-following capacity when customer demand for electricity, or the load, is high. Otherwise it is operated as a run-of-river facility, which means the volume of water coming in equals the volume of water leaving the project in a 24-hour period.
