20211119Decision Memo.pdf

DECISION MEMORANDUM 1

DECISION MEMORANDUM

TO: COMMISSIONER KJELLANDER
COMMISSIONER RAPER
COMMISSIONER ANDERSON
COMMISSION SECRETARY
COMMISSION STAFF
LEGAL

FROM: RILEY NEWTON
DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL

DATE: NOVEMBER 19, 2021

SUBJECT: IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION OF IDAHO POWER
COMPANY FOR AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH A NEW SCHEDULE TO
SERVE SPECULATIVE HIGH-DENSITY LOAD CUSTOMERS; CASE
NO. IPC-E-21-37.

On November 4, 2021, Idaho Power Company (“Company”) applied to the
Commission for authority to establish a new schedule to serve speculative high-density customers,
specifically, large-scale cryptocurrency mining operators. Application at 1. The Company reports
that it “has received increased prospective customer interest of approximately 1,950 megawatts
(“MW”) in the last few months”—an additional load that, if interconnected with the Company’s
system, “would exceed the Company’s ability to serve total system load during the summer season
. . . .” Id.
To mitigate the potential increase in electric power demand, the Company requests an
order from the Commission prior to the June 15-September 15 interruption period authorizing it
to: (1) establish a new customer classification applicable to high-density load (“HDL”) customers
operating in a speculative industry, and (2) approving Schedule 20, Speculative High-Density
Load for HDL customers (“Schedule 20”). Id. at 2. The Company states that Schedule 20 “includes
energy priced at marginal cost and the requirement to be fully-interruptible at the Company’s
discretion” and would “incorporate three (3) modifications to Schedule 9’s and Schedule 19’s rate
design to better align the system constraints and the speculative nature of the HDL customer class
. . . .” Id. at 2, 14.
The Company requests that its Application be processed by modified procedure. Id. at
17.

DECISION MEMORANDUM 2

STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Due to the potential interest in this case, Staff recommends that the Commission issue
a Notice of Application and set a 21-day intervention deadline.
COMMISSION DECISION
Does the Commission wish to issue a Notice of Application and set a 21-day
intervention deadline?

__________________________
Riley Newton
Deputy Attorney General

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