Comments on: Trash Talk–Power, Politics, Economics, Ownership

By: Gene Fadness

Gene Fadness — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:17:14 +0000

Hi Karen,
This is Gene Fadness from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. Since 1992, there has been a Power Cost Adjustment process (PCA) that credits customers when high water results in lower than anticipated power supply expense and surcharges customers when low water results in higher than anticipated power supply expense. When Idaho Power has surplus power, you want them to sell, sell, sell after they have met their requirment to serve native load. Electrons (to date) cannot be stored. And 90 percent of what they make from surplus sales comes directly back to customers.

By: dog

dog — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 23:53:04 +0000

Paul is absolutely spot on. Thanks Paul. Idacorp makes sure we pay all costs associated with power generation and energy conservation.

By: Karen Ragland

Karen Ragland — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:03:15 +0000

Since I am an Idaho native. I remember when Idaho Power cried during dry spells to raise their rates and when the rivers ran high they sold excess power to the highest bidder. Now the City and County is fighting over our trash. Whoda thought. I say we just deposit our trash at the City-County building and save our cost in trash pick up.
Paul you are right gold buys politicians and pays for our right to go along to get along. I conclude with recycling help us. smile—wink.

By: Rick

Rick — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:11:54 +0000

Has anyone noticed where you mail your payment too? Certainly isn’t in Idaho…..

By: chicago sam

chicago sam — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 22:41:32 +0000

In theory selling excess power to other States is a good way to get money into Idaho but the power is contracted for in most cases 20 years at a set rate and the value of the power in other placesoften does not cover this cost–so Idaho ratepayers must come up with the difference. Idaho Power and other Utilitys are required by federal law to purchase this electricity even if they don’t need it and they frequently don’t. And guess who will pay for the transmission lines

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:57:59 +0000

Like most things for the “people” those with the gold make the rules.

We have an apathetic,complacent public who won’t take the time and effort to become knowledgeable about pocketbook issues on the local level but they whine and moan about the federal govt. Face it, we have no control over the federal govt. but on the local level our votes and opinions do matter. What’s missing is participation and paying attention to what is going on around all of us every day.

Waste and spend is not something unique to the federal govt. You scratch a little below the surface and the waste, fraud and abuses are everywhere on the local level.

By: Goobs222

Goobs222 — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 23:34:04 +0000

While Idaho Power may have all the power generation it needs, there are other locations that probably don’t. Thus, there is likely interest in the “excess” power if it can be purchased inexpensively and sold for a profit. (But again, as noted, money becomes the issue).

EDITOR NOTE–The rate is the “avoided cost” of what it would have cost idaho Power to generate the power. Any PURPA deals create RECs out of thin air that someone gets to sell. Rate payers at one end or the other have to pay for the PURPA projects. The RECS are negotiated.

By: Jeniss Nicole

Jeniss Nicole — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:41:21 +0000

I guess that’s my whole problem with a lot of this. I’ve realized for awhile that it’s all about money. Guilt trip all you want about from the wind generators that by not giving in to them you don’t care about the environment. I’ve heard it all. One of the bigger issues I see here that nobody seems to talk about, is that we’re also facing a problem with too much generation. Just from the wind generators alone, we’re producing WAY more power than we could ever hope to use. From that point of view, isn’t it all just a big waste of consumer money then? Why bring in more power generators when we’ve already got more than we can use?

EDITOR NOTE–We agree with you. The issue for the power companies is the “reliable source,” rather than the amount of electricity.