Energizing Eastern Idaho

ESI and Idaho Falls Power Boost Energy Infrastructure

ESI VP David Bowar at the Peaking Power Plant Ribbon-cutting

When Idaho Falls Power (IFP) needed a partner to deliver a $36 million energy infrastructure project, they turned to a trusted Idaho-based general contractor, and ESI delivered.

Completed in late 2025, the new Idaho Falls Peaking Power Plant represents a major milestone in IFP’s 125-year legacy of providing reliable, affordable energy. To get the job done, ESI fielded a project team with the technical expertise and local commitment the project demanded.

What It Takes to Meet the Energy Demand

The facility is a 7,000-square-foot, pre-engineered metal building housing seven natural gas-fueled generators capable of sending 15 megawatts of power to the grid. The scope included 14 exterior radiators, intake and exhaust fans, two 5,000-gallon diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tanks for emissions control, an automated gas shutoff valve, switch gear, and a 7,000-square-foot adjacent storage building.

Before the ribbon was cut at the grand opening, the project team installed 1 mile of conduit, 50 tons of steel, and 4 miles of wire and cable.

The Problem It Solves

Idaho Falls Power currently meets roughly one-third of the city’s growing energy needs through four hydroelectric plants along the Snake River. Rapid population and commercial growth have stretched that capacity. Filling the gap requires supplementing power through the wholesale energy market, and when prices spike, especially in winters and summers, customers feel the pinch.

The new peaking plant gives IFP a 17.5-megawatt on-demand resource it can activate whenever usage exceeds normal operations and increases costs. This helps keep Idaho Falls residential rates near seven cents per kilowatt hour, which is about half the national average.

ESI Teams Installed Switch Gear and Controls to Keep Everything Running

Idaho Builders Working for Idaho

From contract award to ribbon cutting, this project kept it local. The City Council specifically selected ESI because of its reputation as an experienced commercial construction company based in Idaho, which is headquartered in Meridian with offices in Idaho Falls. Planning, labor, and operations stayed in-state.

This project is a strong example of what ESI brings to an energy sector in critical need of upgrades: the technical depth to build complex power infrastructure, the reach of a nationally-ranked firm to overcome supply chain challenges, and the local roots to do it right.

Powering growth in Eastern Idaho