Baker City-Based OTEC to Acquire Idaho Power’s Oregon Service Area, 20,000 Customers

Idaho Power and Baker City-based Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative announced Feb. 19, 2026 that they have entered an agreement for OTEC to assume ownership of Idaho Power’s Oregon service area for a base purchase price of $154 million, subject to state and federal approvals. If approved, about 20,000 Idaho Power customers in eastern Oregon, residential, irrigation, commercial, and industrial accounts, would transfer to OTEC’s service.

The joint press release describing the proposed sale says Idaho Power will reduce its retail service area to Idaho while continuing to operate power generation and transmission infrastructure in Oregon. Elkhornmediagroup’s coverage noted Idaho Power’s planned operational narrowing and repeated the companies’ statement that the transaction is subject to regulatory review at state and federal levels.

Lisa Grow, president and CEO of Idaho Power, framed the move as strategic: “This decision reflects Idaho Power’s and OTEC’s shared commitment to meeting the needs of eastern Oregon communities,” and she added that Oregon is projected to be less than 3% of Idaho Power’s total sales by 2030, so reducing multi-state complexity will let Idaho Power focus funding, infrastructure investments, and workforce on Idaho’s growing population and energy demand.

OTEC’s chief executive, Les Penning, described the deal as operationally complementary in the cooperative’s joint release: “The integration of this service territory is a natural fit for our existing operations. OTEC and Idaho Power have a positive, long-standing relationship through transmission interconnection and delivery of power. This relationship will continue and is equally important moving forward as we transition these communities to the cooperative. We look forward to serving our new member-owners while remaining focused on our mission of delivering safe, reliable, and competitively priced power.”

OTEC’s FAQ and press materials say the expanded territory would add to the co-op’s footprint across Baker, Union, Grant, and Harney counties and that the cooperative will open a new office and service center in Ontario and hire employees there to provide response, maintenance, reliability, and community support. OTEC states, “Current members will continue to be served by the same dedicated linemen, engineering, operations and member service teams,” and Elkhornmediagroup also reported that “Current members will not experience changes to their rates as a result of the acquisition,” while noting membership growth can deliver economies of scale that support price stability.

The $154 million base price translates to roughly $7,700 per transferring customer by simple division, a rough metric that underscores the transaction’s materiality for both utilities and local ratepayers. The companies have not identified the specific regulatory bodies that will review the sale or provided a timetable for filings and approvals; the press materials say only that the sale is subject to state and federal approvals.

If regulators approve the proposed sale, Idaho Power’s 20,000 Oregon customers would become OTEC member-owners and the cooperative plans to expand local staffing and facilities in Ontario to maintain or improve outage and emergency response times across Baker, Union, Grant, and Harney counties.