Idaho Utility Spurns Coal, Pledges 100 Percent 'Clean' Energy By 2045

Idaho Power plans to stop using coal energy and rely instead on hydroelectric, solar and wind resources, the utility says. The public utility vows that 100 percent of energy will come from "clean" sources by 2045. Public utilities have made similar pledges in only a handful of states.

Idaho Power customers increasingly see clean energy that doesn't rely on carbon dioxide-producing fossil fuels as a priority, the company says.

"We believe this goal is attainable," Idaho Power President and CEO Darrel Anderson said in announcing the plan.

Idaho Power says it has already agreed to stop using two coal power plants by 2025 and that it's considering how to shut down its third and final coal plant.

"The company that serves over half-a-million customers calls the effort 'Clean Today, Cleaner Tomorrow,' " member station Boise State Public Radio reports. "Nearly 50 percent of the electricity the company currently generates comes from hydro power. About a fifth comes from coal."

As it announced the news, Idaho Power also said it has reached a deal to buy electricity from a 120-megawatt solar farm, which will be built south of Twin Falls. That facility is still in the planning phase, and the deal will require state regulators' approval.