Southeast Idaho invited to learn about ‘energy source of the future’
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ARIMO – Southeastern Idahoans have the chance to learn more about a well-established, but continually evolving, form of power generation this week.
Wednesday evening, Bannock County will hold a town hall on nuclear energy at Marsh Valley High School, located at 12651 South Old Highway 91, in partnership with Portneuf Valley Development and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The town hall, which will go from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., is an opportunity for people to learn more about nuclear energy and how it may find its way into southeast Idaho in the near future.
“This is a great opportunity to learn more about the industry and to learn about what it can do for us here in the county – and southeast Idaho – because it does impact the whole region,” said Jeff Hough, chairman of the Bannock County Commissioners.
Over the next five years, Idaho Power needs to significantly increase its capacity to meet projected demand.
According to the power supplier’s 2025 Integrated Resource Plan, Idaho’s system peak load is expected to grow by nearly 1,000 megawatts between 2026 and 2031. For comparison, Idaho Power’s actual peak firm load grew by only 950 megawatts between 2004 and 2024.
The way Hough sees it, Bannock County could join in on helping the state meet this growing demand.
“If Bannock County wants to attract more industry, we need to have more power readily available for industry here,” Hough said. “If they’re a big power user, we need more power here.”
To provide more information about nuclear energy, Portneuf Valley Development and Bannock County have partnered with INL. At the town hall, two to three officials with expertise in nuclear energy will give presentations on a specific topic, followed by a question-and-answer period.
With increasing demand for power in Idaho and a dedicated nuclear energy research institution less than 50 miles to the north, Hough hopes to see nuclear energy production expand to Bannock County.
“The more we can do to prepare to use it and to incorporate it, I think, prepares us for the future. It is, I think, the energy source of the future,” Hough said.