Last week, Idaho Falls Power celebrated the formal launch of its new natural gas peaking generation plant. This represents a major milestone in the community-owned utility’s 125-year legacy of reliable, affordable energy. “Since lighting the city’s first streetlamp more than a century ago, Idaho Falls Power has upheld a commitment to innovation, fiscal responsibility and low electricity rates,” said Mayor Casper. “This new facility carries that tradition forward.”
As one of the oldest public power utilities in the nation and the first city in Idaho to have its own hydroelectric power plant, Idaho Falls Power is proud to have grown alongside the city it serves. For more than a century, it has remained committed to keeping the lights on, maintaining affordable rates, and investing in local infrastructure that benefits everyone in the community.
One of the core goals behind this new peaking plant is to help protect ratepayers from volatile power-market pricing; a $36-million investment that adds a 17.5-megawatt on-demand power resource. Designed to dispatch electricity during periods of high-demand, typically experienced during the hottest days of summer and coldest nights of winter, the plant gives IFP the ability to generate electricity locally when expenditures on the open wholesale market would otherwise spike. “With this additional capacity, IFP can reduce its reliance on external market purchases during critical times, strengthening local control and price stability for our community and be part of the solution for regional capacity concerns,” said Interim General Manager Stephen Boorman.
Read about Idaho Falls Power, 125 years of service, and learn more about the new peaking plant: Article | Idaho Falls Power