Planning commission approves Idaho Power expansion to add 200 MW battery storage at Boise Bench substation

The Boise City Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 27 approved a conditional use permit to expand the existing Boise Bench electric substation at 2001 E. Amity Road with a battery energy storage facility that Idaho Power says will provide up to 200 megawatts of four‑hour capacity.

The commission voted 4‑2 to approve CUP 24‑41 after hearing presentations from staff and Idaho Power, technical testimony from a fire protection engineer, and roughly two dozen public comments that ranged from support for clean energy to concerns about fire risk, air quality and proximity to homes.

Planning staff summarized the proposal as a modification to an existing conditional use permit for the Boise Bench substation on a roughly 45.6‑acre parcel. The application would place about 350 prefabricated lithium‑iron‑phosphate (LFP) battery containers on concrete pads within a roughly 9‑acre fenced and secured area, install a small transformer/AC conversion area, relocate nearby transmission lines to Holcomb Road frontage, and construct an 11‑foot concrete perimeter wall and a landscaped buffer. Staff said the batteries would be set back approximately 200 feet from the nearest residences and that the wall would be about 150 feet from the adjacent neighborhood. A multiuse pathway and street‑tree landscaping along Holcomb Road were included as conditions of approval.

"We have a definitive need identified in the future to add new generation resources that are both safe, reliable, affordable, and ultimately serve clean energy purposes," said Eric Hackett, projects and resource development director for Idaho Power, during the applicant presentation. Hackett described the project as one of several the utility identified through its integrated resource planning…