Power to the People

 Power to the People of Eastern Idaho. The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has approved a sales agreement between PacifiCorp, which does business as Rocky Mountain Power in eastern Idaho, and the developer of a small hydroelectric generating facility 40 miles north of Howe in Butte County.The hydroelectric plant, developed by Idaho Falls-based Bell Mountain Hydro, has a capacity of 290 kilowatts, but, under normal conditions, will not exceed a power delivery of 10 average megawatts a month. The 20-year agreement stipulates that should output exceed 10 average MW, PacifiCorp may accept the energy but will not pay for it.

Idaho Public Utilities Commission spokesperson Gene Fadness says: “It’s just another source of power for all of Rocky Mountain’s customers both urban and rural.”

Two creeks, Bell Mountain and Mahogany, feed into a two-mile recently lined canal and 16,000 feet of new steel pipe. The water is used for both irrigation and power production. Water flow is year-round and the developer has a non-consumptive water right to generate power. About 10 acre-feet of water can be stored in the canal.