Fall River Electric backs new power plant to keep eastern Idaho’s lights on
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The following is a news release from Fall River Electric.
ASHTON – Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative announced its partnership in a new power project being developed in northern Idaho through PNGC Power to help maintain reliable, affordable electricity for homes, businesses, farms, and communities across eastern Idaho and southwestern Montana.
The new plant is expected to be among the most efficient and lowest-emitting natural gas-fired power plants in the region. By using advanced technology, it is expected to generate more electricity with less fuel than older plants, helping provide the reliable power Northwest communities need while keeping costs as affordable as possible for cooperative owner-members.
The selected technology also offers a pathway to hydrogen blending over time, including the potential for up to a 50% hydrogen blend as the technology, fuel supply, and supporting infrastructure evolve.
For Fall River Electric, the project is part of the Co-op’s strategic direction identified more than three years ago to meet the future needs of both owner-members and the communities it serves planning ahead for the future needs of the communities it serves. Across the Northwest, recent storms, extreme temperatures, reduced hydropower, and growing demand for electricity have shown how important it is to have dependable power sources that can perform during challenging conditions.
“The hydropower capacity of the Northwest has been fully allocated so there is not plenty of hydropower left to meet growing electricity demand,” said Bryan Case, CEO/General Manager of Fall River Electric. “Our members need power they can count on at prices they can afford. Supporting this project is part of planning ahead to help keep electricity reliable, affordable, and available when it is needed most.”
PNGC Power and Fall River Electric and PNGC’s other member cooperatives are working to strengthen the region’s electric system and build a more resilient energy future. For local communities, this project is about more than power generation. It is about learning from past storms and extreme weather events and making sure the Northwest has the resources needed to
respond when conditions are most difficult.
“This project reflects the responsibility we have to plan ahead for the long term,” said Jessica Matlock, Chief Executive Officer of PNGC Power. “Our member cooperatives serve families, farms, businesses, and small towns across the Northwest. This project is part of helping ensure those communities continue to have reliable and affordable electricity in the years ahead.”