20230630Final_Order_No_35837.pdf

ORDER NO. 35837 1
Office of the Secretary
Service Date
June 30, 2023
BEFORE THE IDAHO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION

IN THE MATTER OF IDAHO POWER
COMPANY’S PETITION TO EXTEND THE
FILING DATE OF ITS 2023 INTEGRATED
RESOURCE PLAN
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CASE NO. IPC-E-23-17

ORDER NO. 35837

On May 5, 2023, Idaho Power Company (“Company”) filed a petition (“Petition”) with the
Idaho Public Utilities Commission (“Commission”) for a three-month extension to file the
Company’s 2023 electric integrated resource plan (“IRP”). The Company requested that the
Commission modify the filing date of the 2023 IRP from the last business day of June 2023 to the
last business day of September 2023. The Company requested that its Petition be processed
through modified procedure.
The Company represented that its IRP examines the demand for energy over the next 20
years and identifies the best strategy to meet the forecasted demand for its customers. Petition at
2. The Company updates its IRP every two years and describes the Company’s projected need for
additional electricity and the resources needed to balance customer load, system reliability,
environmental responsibility, efficiency, risk, and cost. Id.
The Company represented that at the start of the 2023 process, the Company planned to
share preliminary modeling results in the Spring of 2023; however, input changes, model
refinements, and model validation and verification have taken more time than expected. Id. at 4.
The Company represented that permitting the Company to delay filing until the end of
September of 2023 will ensure a more complete process, and that a delay is in the public interest
and good cause exists to allow the modification of the filing date to more fully allow public
participation prior to filing. Id.
On May 25, 2023, the Commission issued a Notice of Petition and Notice of Modified
Procedure setting deadlines for initial party comments and company reply comments. Order No.
35791.
STAFF COMMENTS
Staff recommends that the Commission grant the Company’s request to file the 2023 IRP
no later than the last business day of September 2023. Staff believes the delayed filing will enable
ORDER NO. 35837 2
a better final report which will benefit ratepayers, and a delay will minimally impact upcoming
filings that are dependent upon the IRP.
However, Staff is concerned that this is the second consecutive IRP that the Company has
requested an extension to file. In addition, although the 2019 IRP was technically submitted by the
deadline, it had to be subsequently reworked, delaying the final submission by several months. To
avoid a recurring pattern, Staff recommends that the Commission require the Company to submit
a plan and schedule to ensure timely delivery of the 2025 IRP as part of the 2023 IRP action plan.
IDAHO POWER COMMENTS
The Company represents that it continues to be committed to a timely and high-quality
long-term planning process. The Company is confident it can provide both high quality and timely
IRP filings moving forward, and the Company commits to more frequent and timely updates to
Staff if modeling challenges associated with the shifting energy landscape look to compromise
timely IRP delivery. In recognition of Staff’s concerns in this case, the Company fully supports
Staff’s recommendation to provide a procedural action plan in the 2023 IRP for timely filing of
the 2025 IRP.
COMMISSION FINDINGS AND DECISION
The Commission has jurisdiction over the Company’s Petition and the issues in this case
under Title 61 of the Idaho Code including Idaho Code §§ 61-301 through 303. The Commission
is empowered to investigate rates, charges, rules, regulations, practices, and contracts of all public
utilities and to determine whether they are just, reasonable, preferential, discriminatory, or in
violation of any provisions of law, and to fix the same by order. Idaho Code §§ 61-501 through
503.
Having reviewed the Petition, the party comments, and all submitted materials, the
Commission finds it fair, just, and reasonable to grant the Petition. The Commission appreciates
the Company’s statements and efforts to proceed through the IRP process in an efficient manner;
however, the Commission is still concerned with the recent timing issues and extensions in the
IRP process. To that end, the Commission directs the Company to submit a plan and schedule to
ensure timely delivery of the 2025 IRP as part of the 2023 IRP action plan.
ORDER
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Petition is granted. The Company must file its 2023
IRP by the last business day of September 2023.
ORDER NO. 35837 3
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Company shall submit a plan and schedule to ensure
timely delivery of the 2025 IRP as part of the 2023 IRP action plan.
THIS IS A FINAL ORDER. Any person interested in this Order may petition for
reconsideration within twenty-one (21) days of the service date upon this Order regarding any
matter decided in this Order. Within seven (7) days after any person has petitioned for
reconsideration, any other person may cross-petition for reconsideration. Idaho Code §§ 61-626.
DONE by Order of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission at Boise, Idaho, this 30th day of
June 2023.

ERIC ANDERSON, PRESIDENT

JOHN R. HAMMOND JR., COMMISSIONER

EDWARD LODGE, COMMISSIONER
ATTEST:

Jan Noriyuki
Commission Secretary

I:\Legal\ELECTRIC\IPC-E-23-17_extend IRP\orders\IPCE2317_FO_cb.docx