Print

February 24, 2010

Next Steps for B2H Transmission Line Project

BOISE, Idaho—Idaho Power staff and Project Advisory Team members associated with the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project (B2H) will meet between March 2 and March 10 to unveil the full analysis of the members’ proposed routes for the project. Analysis was conducted by TetraTech – a third-party engineering firm retained to assist in the project. The routes analyzed by TetraTech were identified by the various community members during formal mapping sessions which the company led across the Boardman to Hemingway footprint in late 2009.

A total of five meetings will be held in a variety of locations:

• March 2 - Canyon City, OR at the Canyon City Community Hall, 131 Washington Street
• March 3 - Baker City, OR at the Community Connections Senior Center, 2810 Cedar Street
• March 4 - Boardman, OR, at the Port of Morrow Convention Center, 2 Marine Drive
• March 9 - Ontario, OR, at the Four Rivers Convention Center, 676 SW Fifth Ave.
• March 10 - Burns, OR, at the Harney County Community Center, 484 N. Broadway Ave.
   

Kent McCarthy, the Community Advisory Process project leader for Idaho Power said he is excited to unveil the findings from the analysis. “The various Project Advisory Teams located in Oregon and Idaho have done an incredible job identifying these routes. The critical insight provided by these teams into possible routes helped Idaho Power achieve our goals of building the line while allowing us to do so in a manner that fits local community criteria.” At the meeting, the Project Advisory Team will have the opportunity to evaluate the analysis results and provide input on a possible proposed route.

Once the routes are finalized, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the lead agency responsible for the National Environmental Policy Act process, will hold a scoping period during which project information and maps are shared with the public and additional comments and input is received. The BLM will then work with cooperating agencies to determine which routes will be analyzed in detail in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement– a process expected to take approximately six months.

Another agenda topic for the meeting includes the company’s discussions with PacifiCorp who is considering joint development and ownership opportunities in the Project. “Joint development opportunities with other utilities like PacifiCorp allow us to share development costs and reduce some of the risk associated with a transmission project of this size,” said Vern Porter, vice president of Delivery Engineering and Operations.

Both companies published 2009 Integrated Resource Plans addressing transmission capacity constraints in the Pacific Northwest. The Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project creates transmission alternatives to meet needs for both parties. Bonneville Power Administration has also shown interest and is investigating possible opportunities.

Information, maps and schedules for the Boardman to Hemingway project are available at www.boardmantohemingway.com. Public comments and questions also may be submitted through the Web site.

IDACORP, Inc. (NYSE: IDA), Boise, Idaho-based and formed in 1998, is a holding company comprised of Idaho Power Company, a regulated electric utility; IDACORP Financial, a holder of affordable housing projects and other real estate investments; and Ida-West Energy, an operator of small hydroelectric generation projects that satisfy the requirements of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. IDACORP’s origins lie with Idaho Power and operations beginning in 1916. Today, Idaho Power employs approximately 2,050 people to serve a 24,000 square-mile service area in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon. With 17 low-cost hydroelectric projects as the core of its generation portfolio, Idaho Power’s 489,000 residential, business and agricultural customers pay some of the nation’s lowest prices for electricity. To learn more about Idaho Power or IDACORP, visit www.idahopower.com or www.idacorpinc.com.

Media Contact: Piper Hyman
Corporate Communication
208-388-5622 or phyman@idahopower.com