Idaho Power serves nearly 500,000 customers, with a significant percentage of them in the eastern Treasure Valley, which encompasses all or portions of Ada, Elmore and Owyhee counties in Idaho.

Providing reliable electric service is our priority, and it means we look to the future.

While the present economic downturn has slowed development, it is merely a lull in the region’s growth. Even with slower growth, Idaho Power’s existing customers continue to purchase devices that consume more and more energy. And businesses, ranches, dairies and residences are becoming more dependent on a reliable supply of electricity with every passing year.

Planning For The Future

Planning engineers monitor growth and project when and where electric load growth will occur. Based on those projections, Idaho Power, together with local jurisdictions and customers, devises a construction strategy that stays ahead of the growth curve.

The company invests tens of millions of dollars annually in distribution, transmission and substation projects. In the past five years, Idaho Power has invested over $445 million – nearly a half billion – in new facilities and projects related to growth and customer need.

For comprehensive planning purposes, Idaho Power’s transmission and distribution lines should be considered essential transportation components. We don’t transport people but we do transport energy, and they often follow the same route. As transportation corridors are defined and developed, Idaho Power would like to be involved in the process and establish the complementary use of these corridors for energy transportation.

Eastern Treasure Valley Electric Demand

As regional infrastructure improvements are planned, Idaho Power would like to be involved early in order to plan necessary capacity additions like power lines and/or power plants. It takes years to plan and implement changes to electrical utility systems.