BOISE, ID – High costs and lengthy permitting processes are two of the barriers to bringing nuclear-powered electricity to customers in Idaho, officials from three electrical utilities told state regulators during a public forum outside of Boise on Tuesday.
Officials from Idaho Power, Rocky Mountain Power and Avista told members of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission that nuclear energy can provide a reliable and clean source of energy that diversifies energy portfolios.
However, the high cost to build nuclear power projects, the absence of price certainty and permitting processes that can stretch for 10 years or longer do not align with state regulators’ “least cost, least risk” mandate…