Idaho Power Company is committed to providing its customers with reliable electric service. In keeping with this commitment, Idaho Power plans to construct a new 138,000-volt (138-kV) transmission line between Cambridge and McCall to serve the increasing electric demand in the Cambridge, Council, New Meadows and McCall areas. View an overall project map (PDF) or a more detailed map (PDF) for the McCall area.

The project includes two new substations: one located west of Cambridge and one north of Council. See the project description for more details.

Typical proposed structure for Cambridge-McCall substation's source of power

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Project Need

The power system serving Midvale, Cambridge, Council, the Joyce/Tamarack area, New Meadows, McCall, Donnelly, Cascade, Warm Lake, Hidden Lake, Smith’s Ferry, Ola, Sweet and Horseshoe Bend is called the McCall Loop.

Currently, the McCall Loop cannot provide the power required for peak demand if an outage occurs on its sole 138-kV transmission line, which runs from the Oxbow generating station in Hells Canyon to McCall. As a result, Idaho Power customers on the McCall Loop have experienced more outages particularly during high winds and heavy snows.

In order to increase the reliability of electric service there, Idaho Power has begun construction of this new 138-kV transmission line from Cambridge through McCall to Lake Fork.