Rising energy demand has strained existing power lines and other equipment in the Horseshoe Bend and Garden Valley areas. To continue our tradition of reliable, affordable service, Idaho Power plans to build a new 34.5-kilovolt (kV) distribution line north of Horseshoe Bend to Garden Valley.
The new line will connect to an existing 34.5-kV line about four miles north and one mile east of the Horseshoe Bend Substation near Highway 55 on the north side of Horseshoe Bend. It will follow Porter Creek east to Placerville and then turn north along Alder Creek to Garden Valley.
The line’s route crosses private, state and federal lands. Idaho Power built the segment between Horseshoe Bend and Placerville along an existing distribution line. Most of the work for the Alder Creek segment will require new rights-of-way.
Idaho Power has obtained project permits from the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. The company is working to obtain easements across private land the line will cross. Road construction began in April 2021.
We completed the stretch between Horseshoe Bend and Placerville in mid-December. That piece of the line is in service. Construction of the section between Placerville and Garden Valley is scheduled to begin in May or June 2022 and be complete by mid-November.
Project Schedule
- USFS Decision: 2020
- Easements Completed: 2021
- Road Construction and Tree Clearing: 2021
- Line Construction: 2021-2022
- Line In-Service: 2022
Contact Information
If you have questions about the Garden Valley project, or have information you wish to be considered, contact:
Tom Barber, Project Manager
Idaho Power
P.O. Box 70
Boise, ID 83707
208-388-5667
tbarber@idahopower.com
Johnny Anderson, Economic Development & Innovation
Idaho Power
P.O. Box 70
Boise, ID 83707
208-388-5841
janderson2@idahopower.com
Mike Ybarguen, Economic & Community Development
Idaho Power
Canyon Operations Center
2420 Chacartegui Ln
Nampa, ID 83687
208-465-8653
mybarguen@idahopower.com