20151102press release.pdf

Case No. PAC-E-15-11, Order No. 33405
Contact: Gene Fadness [phone], 890-2712
www.puc.idaho.gov

Sales agreement with Preston area hydro project approved

BOISE (Nov. 2, 2015) – The Idaho Public Utilities Commission is approving a 20-year sales
agreement between PacifiCorp, which operates as Rocky Mountain Power in eastern Idaho, and
a Preston area hydroelectric facility.

The 481-kilowatt hydro project, owned by Consolidated Irrigation Company, is a qualifying
facility under the provisions of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act. PURPA requires utilities
to buy output from qualifying renewable projects at an “avoided-cost rate,” or the rate the
utility avoids by not having to generate the power itself or buy it from another source.

The commission’s published avoided-cost rate for non-intermittent projects smaller than 1
megawatt with contracts signed in 2015 is $59.88 per megawatt-hour. The contract is for a non-
levelized rate, which means the price paid the project increases gradually through the 20-year
life of the contract to $103.05 per MWh in 2034.

The commission’s order and other documents related to this case is available on the
commission’s website at www.puc.idaho.gov. Click on “Open Cases” under the “Electric”
heading and scroll down to Case No. IPC-E-15-11.

###