PAYETTE COUNTY, Idaho — Idaho Power says it needs more electricity to keep up with the state's rapid growth — the utility is looking to natural gas to increase capacity and reliability of the grid.
“As the valley grows, so does Idaho Power, and to meet those growing needs, we have to add resources,” said Eric Hackett, who manages Idaho Power’s new power production facilities.
Hackett said natural gas plants like the Langley Gulch facility in Payette County are crucial for providing reliable year-round electricity.
WATCH: Get an inside look at the Langley Gulch natural gas plant
“These gas projects are really efficient, so they’re gonna really provide a lot of stability to the system,” Hackett said. “They ramp really quickly to provide really reliable power.”
Natural gas currently produces about 20% of Idaho Power’s energy. Hydroelectric power accounts for about 40%, and about 20% comes from renewable sources such as solar. But Hackett says solar struggles to meet demand in the colder months.
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“The benefit that those offer, particularly in the winter, are waning a little bit,” he said, “So we need to add something that has real motion in it — like a machine — so that we can add stability to the grid and also add capacity.”
That's where Idaho Power's plans to build three new natural gas plants in southwestern Idaho come in. One is planned near Twin Falls, one near Mountain Home, and another elsewhere in Elmore County.
“So those three combined are upwards of 800 MW, and to put that in perspective — our peak that we serve on an annual basis or on a peak day is about 4,000 MW,” Hackett said. “We see that potentially growing up into about 5,000 MW.”
For context, Langley Gulch is rated at 318 megawatts — enough to power roughly 258,000 typical Idaho homes on average.
The first new plant, Bennett Mountain near Mountain Home, is set to be completed by 2028 with the other projects following in 2029 and 2030.
