UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549

 

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  October 3, 2008

None

Former name or former address, if changed since last report.

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2.):

[ ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
[ ] Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

IDACORP, Inc.
IDAHO POWER COMPANY
Form 8-K

ITEM 8.01      OTHER EVENTS.

On October 3, 2008, Idaho Power Company (Idaho Power) filed a project proposal with the Northern Tier Transmission Group (NTTG) Cost Allocation Committee relating to its proposed 500 kilovolt transmission line to be built between the proposed Hemingway substation in southwestern Idaho and the existing Boardman substation in eastern Oregon (Hemingway-Boardman Line).  Idaho Power is requesting approval by the NTTG of the allocation of costs and benefits for the project, but does not expect any recommendation or approval until the second half of 2009.

Idaho Power stated in its proposal that the Hemingway-Boardman Line would be approximately 300 miles.  Construction costs for single-circuit 500-kilovolt transmission lines are typically estimated at $1.5 million per mile (excluding rights-of-way, permit and substation interconnection costs), but may vary significantly depending upon route availability, permitting and other variables.  Current total cost estimates for the project (including rights-of-way, permit and substation interconnection costs) are approximately $600 million.

In its 2006 Integrated Resource Plan, Idaho Power projected the need for an additional 225 megawatts of transmission upgrade capacity from the Pacific Northwest to the Boise area, commencing as early as 2012.  Including the project cost estimate in Idaho Power's existing plant investment and adding 225 megawatts of usage to the System Peak Demand in sample calculations would result in a transmission rate of approximately $40 per kilowatt-year.  Additional increases in usage of the transmission would result in a lower rate.  Additional information on the rate calculations and components is available on Idaho Power's Open Access Same-Time Information System (OASIS) website.

Idaho Power's share of the total line costs will depend upon whether and to what extent other partners participate in the line, and the amounts contributed by third-party purchasers of capacity on the line.  Idaho Power continues to explore opportunities to partner with other entities for up to fifty percent of the project.  The current project schedule indicates a likely in-service date of June 2013.

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Certain statements contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K, including statements with respect to future earnings, ongoing operations, and financial conditions, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of federal securities laws.  Although IDACORP and IPC believe that the expectations and assumptions reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in the statements.  Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include: changes in and compliance with governmental policies, including new interpretations of existing policies, and regulatory actions and regulatory audits, including those of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, the Idaho Public Utilities Commission, and the Oregon Public Utility Commission with respect to allowed rates of return, industry and rate structure, day-to-day business operations, acquisition and disposal of assets and facilities, operation and construction of plant facilities, provision of transmission services, including critical infrastructure protection and system reliability, relicensing of hydroelectric projects, recovery of power supply costs, recovery of capital investments, present or prospective wholesale and retail competition, including but not limited to retail wheeling and transmission costs, and other refund proceedings; changes arising from the Energy Policy Act of 2005; changes in tax laws or related regulations or new interpretations of applicable law by the Internal Revenue Service or other taxing jurisdiction, litigation and regulatory proceedings, including those resulting from the energy situation in the western United States, and penalties and settlements that influence business and profitability; changes in and compliance with laws, regulations and policies including changes in law and compliance with environmental, natural resources, endangered species and safety laws, regulations and policies and the adoption of laws and regulations addressing greenhouse gas emissions or global climate change; global climate change and regional weather variations affecting customer demand and hydroelectric generation; over-appropriation of surface and groundwater in the Snake River Basin resulting in reduced generation at hydroelectric facilities; construction of power generation, transmission and distribution facilities, including an inability to obtain required governmental permits and approvals, rights-of-way and siting, and risks related to contracting, construction and start-up; operation of power generating facilities including performance below expected levels, breakdown or failure of equipment, availability of transmission and fuel supply; changes in operating expenses and capital expenditures, including costs and availability of materials, fuel and commodities; blackouts or other disruptions of Idaho Power Company's transmission system or the western interconnected transmission system; impacts from the formation of a regional transmission organization or the development of another transmission group; population growth rates and other demographic patterns; market prices and demand for energy, including structural market changes; fluctuations in sources and uses of cash; results of financing efforts, including the ability to obtain financing on favorable terms, which can be affected by factors such as credit ratings and general economic conditions; actions by credit rating agencies, including changes in rating criteria and new interpretations of existing criteria; changes in interest rates or rates of inflation; performance of the stock market and changes in interest rates, which affect the amount of required contributions to pension plans, and the reported costs of providing pension and other postretirement benefits; increases in health care costs and the resulting effect on medical benefits paid for employees; increasing costs of insurance, changes in coverage terms and the ability to obtain insurance; homeland security, acts of war or terrorism; natural disasters and other natural risks, such as earthquake, flood, drought, lightning, wind and fire; adoption of or changes in critical accounting policies or estimates; and new accounting or Securities and Exchange Commission requirements, or new interpretation or application of existing requirements.  Any such forward-looking statement should be considered in light of such factors and others noted in the companies' Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, the Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2008 and June 30, 2008 and other reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made.  New factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all such factors, nor can it assess the impact of any such factor on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.
 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrants have duly caused this report to be signed on their behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Dated:  October 3, 2008

IDACORP, Inc.

By:   /s/ Darrel T. Anderson
Darrel T. Anderson
Senior Vice President -
Administrative Services
and Chief Financial Officer

IDAHO POWER COMPANY

By:   /s/ Darrel T. Anderson
Darrel T. Anderson
Senior Vice President -
Administrative Services
and Chief Financial Officer