04/15/08

Idaho Power has asked the Idaho Public Utilities Commission to approve a rate increase.

In a request submitted Tuesday, Idaho Power says the increase
will be approximately $6.80 for the average residential customer
per month.

Idaho Power says the rate hike is necessary to make up for
significant increases in fuel costs for generating electricity.

Ric Gale, vice president for regulatory affairs at Idaho Power,
says customers set record demands for electricity last summer when
temperatures soared above 100 degrees.

As of the end of last year, Idaho Power served more than 480,000
customers in a 24,000-square-mile area in southern Idaho and
eastern Oregon.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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