Lower Salmon — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 816
- Capacity
- 60 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Gooding, ID
- Operating Since
- 1949
- Generators
- 4
- Operator
- Idaho Power Co
- Parent Company
- IDACORP
- Annual Generation
- 231,995 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 44.0%
- Balancing Authority
- Idaho Power Company
- ISO/RTO
- —
- NERC Region
- WECC
Lower Salmon
OperatingHydro
Ranked #9 of 76 Hydro plants in ID#268 of 1454 nationally
60 MW Hydro operating in Gooding, ID — Idaho Power Company
EIAGEMWD
60 MW
Nameplate Capacity
4
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
1949
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
42.8416, -114.9037
County
Gooding, ID
Nearby Plants
- Lower MaladHydro13.5 MW · 2.7 km
- Upper MaladHydro8.3 MW · 3.0 km
- Fossil GulchWind10.5 MW · 4.2 km
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Idaho Power Co | Idaho Power | — |
| Owner(s) | Idaho Power Co | IDACORP | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
About
Lower Salmon Falls Dam is a concrete gravity-type hydroelectric dam on the Lower Salmon Falls of the Snake River, in the U.S. state of Idaho. The dam is located 5 miles downstream from Upper Salmon Falls, between Gooding County and Twin Falls County, Idaho.
Read more on WikipediaLower Salmon is a hydroelectric power plant located in Gooding County, Idaho. The plant has a total capacity of 60 MW across four generators and primarily utilizes water as its fuel source. It began operating in 1949 and is owned by IDACORP, with Idaho Power Co. serving as the operator. The plant is within the Idaho Power Company balancing authority and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region.
In the most recent year of data, Lower Salmon generated 231,995 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 44.0%. The plant ranks 9th out of 76 power plants in Idaho and 271st out of 1464 plants nationally. Financial data indicates an installed cost of $660.28 per kW.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
WECC
Balancing Authority
Idaho Power Company
Grid Voltage
138 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
15.4K MWh
Latest Month
232.0K MWh
Annual Generation
44.0%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2022 – Dec 2024
Financial DataBeta
Source: FERC Form 1HIGH
$1,118/kW
Installed Cost
$12.4/MWh
Operating Cost
Idaho Power Company
Reporting Utility
Cumulative Installed Cost
Per-Unit Cost Trends
Pricing & Market Data
Market Position
LMP Node
LSPR_1_TOT_GEN-APND
Pricing Hub
—
News & Articles (7)Beta
Regulatory·permitting
Idaho Power Company; Notice of Intent To File License Application, Filing of Pre-Application Document, and Approving Use of the Traditional Licensing Process
Idaho Power Company (other)
Federal Register (FERC)·3 days ago
Regulatory·federal policy
Newhouse, Risch Lead Renewed Effort to Protect the Lower Snake River Dams
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) and Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) introduced the Northwest Energy Security Act to require the...
Dan Newhouse (other)Jim Risch (other)
Congressman Dan Newhouse (.gov)·1 years ago
Industry·other
How the Nez Perce are using an energy transition to save salmon - High Country News
The tribe is working to replace the generating capacity of the Lower Snake River dams with solar power.
Nez Perce (other)Lower Snake River (other)
High Country News·1 years ago
General
Rare plant species is recovering on BLM-managed land in Idaho’s Salmon River Canyon
A rare native plant that makes its home in some of the steepest reaches of the Lower Salmon River Canyon in northern Idaho.
Bureau of Land Management (.gov)·3 years ago
Last updated 2026-03-25
View all 7 articles