Dec. 1, Magic Valley Times-News . . . The country's financial turbulence hasn't harmed several large-scale energy projects in southern Idaho, developers of those projects said last week.
If anything, the economy has just led Idaho Power Co. officials to be a little more cautious about large-scale plans to build new interstate transmission lines and a natural gas plant over the next few years, said Echo Chadwick, the utility's director of corporate communications.
None of the company's development plans have changed so far, Chadwick said. But officials are keeping a close eye on the markets and regularly examining their plans to see what adjustments, if any, need to be made. "If people aren't loaning money -- it certainly does impact our ability to be effective," said Chadwick, adding that the company is working to keep its credit rating strong.
Part of the problem, she said, is that changes might be hard to make. The utility's grid is maxing out, and the company has to find new transmission or generation sources to keep serving its customers. And those customers are asked to help pay for it . . .
. . . Boise-based Windland Inc. hasn't been able to build its planned 200-megawatt project on Cotterel Mountain in Cassia County. But its delay is more due to a lack of interest from Idaho Power, the likely customer for its power, said Mike Heckler, Windland director of marketing and development.
http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2008/12/01/news/local_state/149836.txt
(Am I the only one seeing a possible solution to Idaho Power's generation sources problem here?)
