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April 7, 2010

Proposed B2H Transmission Route Identified

BOISE, Idaho— Idaho Power will submit the eastern route for the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project (B2H) as part of its revised applications to Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Oregon’s Energy Facility Siting Council. The selected route is one of nearly 50 routes and route segments received and analyzed through the Community Advisory Process. Idaho Power narrowed the Project Advisory Team (PAT) input down to three routes deemed feasible, and today identified the company’s proposed route.

“Input and collaboration make for stronger solutions, and the work accomplished through Idaho Power’s Community Advisory Process with members of the regional Project Advisory Teams demonstrated this point,” said Kent McCarthy, Community Advisory Process leader on the project. “The invaluable participation, insight and support of individuals in the various communities enabled the selection of a proposed route. This is a major milestone for the project and a benefit to the people of Idaho and Oregon who depend on electricity daily for life, work and play. The community teams established selection criteria specific to their communities and identified potential routes which Idaho Power used as a foundation to conduct deeper analysis.”

Idaho Power will host a series of PAT meetings in late April to discuss the company’s proposed route and provide details on how and why it was selected. Public open houses also will be scheduled in coming weeks. All communities are encouraged to stay involved in the process. Sign up for updates on our project mailing list. Meeting details as well as a map of the proposed route, archives of the data and mailing list sign ups are available at the project Web site, http://www.boardmantohemingway.com.

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 2,000 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 490,000 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