1. Final order

Regulators have granted Idaho Power Co. a lower increase in base rates for in-state customers than the utility requested.

The Idaho Public Utilities Commission on Dec. 31 granted the company a 3.73% increase in base revenue from customers in the state, effective Jan. 1, according to the final order. The rate case and final order do not pertain to customers in Oregon.

Idaho Power in its application sought a 7.31% increase. Company officials said that given planned investments in 2024 and the next five years along with increased labor costs and other inflationary pressures, revenue from current rates was no longer sufficient. The investments aim to meet growing customer demand while maintaining system safety and reliability.

If the application had been approved as filed, rates would have gone up between 7.25% and 9.5% for residential, small general service, large general service, large power and irrigation customers, according to a commission news release.

A majority of public comments were in opposition to any increase in rates, according to the final order. Fixed incomes, inflation, taxes, the state of the economy and other issues that present hardships were cited, along with the commission’s granting of a rate increase at the start of 2024. The year-earlier increase, about 4.25%, also was substantially less than requested.

Intervenors in the most recent case included the Idaho Irrigation Pumpers Association.

The case is limited in scope, meaning that it only focuses on recovering costs associated with infrastructure investments and labor expenses that were not included in Idaho Power’s 2023 general rate case but were benefiting customers by the end of 2024, company spokesman Jordan Rodriguez told Capital Press.

The increase for Idaho irrigation customers is 4.84%, he said. The application called for a 9.5% increase.

“We understand that these are challenging times for many customers, and we remain focused on safely providing reliable service at prices 20-30% below the national average,” Rodriguez said. “As we build and maintain our infrastructure to keep up with our growing customer energy needs, price increases are a necessary part of keeping the lights on 99.9% of the time.”

A limited-scope case differs from a general rate case, in which the commission reviews all costs of operating and maintaining the utility system and how those costs should be allocated among customers, he said.