One of Idaho Power's 17 hydropower projects on the Snake River and its tributaries is the C.J. Strike Project. Located about 20 miles southwest of Mountain Home in southwestern Idaho, the C.J. Strike Project is situated on the south bank of the Snake River, just below the confluence of the Bruneau and Snake rivers.
Idaho Power began constructing the C.J. Strike Project in 1950. The project was named after Clifford J. Strike, general manager of Idaho Power from 1938 to 1948. Energy was first produced there in March 1952. The project includes a single powerhouse with three generating units. The following facilities are also associated with the project:
- Earth fill dam
- Intake structure
- Three riveted steel penstocks
- Tailrace channel
- Eight-bay spillway
- Switchyard
- Gantry crane
- Three main transformers
- Two, 138-kV transmission lines
- One transformer for auxiliary power
- Reservoir with 36,800 acre-feet of usable storage
The C.J. Strike Project has a nameplate capacity of 82.8 MW. Operation varies during different times of the day to meet the changing demand for electricity. This approach is called block loading. Two or three units operate when demand is highest during the day, and then a single unit operates when demand is lowest.
Idaho Power determines how many units will operate during peak demand hours by the amount of water flowing into the C.J. Strike Reservoir.