From the race to go nuclear by the Fourth of July to a natural gas pipeline that is completely out of capacity, Idaho's energy landscape is changing faster than at any point in the last three decades. That was the clear message from the Megawatts to Models panel at this year's Regional Leadership Conference, where four of the state's top energy minds gathered to make sense of what artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and a national push for energy dominance mean for Idaho businesses.

Moderated by Adam Richins, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Idaho Power, the panel featured Hart Gilchrist, vice president of business development and external affairs for Intermountain Gas Company; Theresa Foxley, chief of staff at RPLUS Energies; and Todd Combs, deputy laboratory director for science and technology and chief research officer at Idaho National Laboratory.

Idaho Power Is Growing at 40 Times the Normal Rate
Richins opened with some numbers that put Idaho's growth in sharp perspective. The typical utility grows at about one percent per year. Idaho Power is currently projected to grow at 8.3 percent annually for each of the next five years. As Richins put it, that is 40 years of growth compressed into five.

Contrary to what many might assume, the dominant driver of that growth is not data centers. It is onshoring and reshoring of manufacturing. Micron, Chobani, Lamb Weston, and Perpetua Resources were among the companies cited as major contributors to Idaho Power's surging demand. Data centers are part of the story, but a smaller part than the headlines suggest.

The good news for Idaho ratepayers: large commercial and industrial customers pay their own way. Richins explained that companies like Micron cover the full cost of the infrastructure required to serve them, including substations that can span sixteen acres. That policy, in place in Idaho for 30 years, is what keeps residential rates from absorbing those costs.

Idaho remains one of the lowest-cost electricity markets in the nation, a point Richins illustrated by comparing regulated markets to deregulated ones. States with competitive energy markets consistently showed the highest rates on the map. Idaho sits in the dark blue.

The Pipeline Is Full and the Grid Is Constrained
Hart Gilchrist of Intermountain Gas brought a candid assessment of where the state's natural gas infrastructure stands today: at capacity. In the past 18 months, Intermountain Gas has fielded roughly 30 inquiries from prospective data center customers, ranging from 20 megawatt boutique facilities to operations as large as 600 megawatts. To put that in context, Gilchrist noted that a 20 megawatt data center would already be larger than Intermountain Gas's biggest industrial customer today. A 600 megawatt operation would be 20 times that.

The challenge is not a shortage of natural gas. There is plenty available across North America. The constraint is getting it to Idaho. The existing pipeline that serves the state is completely full. Idaho Power subscribed the remaining available capacity last February, leaving no room for additional large load customers until new infrastructure is built.

Williams Pipeline is developing a solution called the Rocky Columbia Connector, which would bring additional gas capacity from the Rockies up through Idaho. The target is Q3 of 2030. Until then, Gilchrist was direct: the pipeline is full.

The transmission grid faces a similar reality. Richins walked through what happened during an extreme cold snap on MLK weekend two years ago, when temperatures plummeted in the Pacific Northwest and energy prices spiked to crisis levels. Idaho Power wanted to purchase lower-cost energy from markets to the south but lacked the transmission capacity to move it north. The lesson was clear: infrastructure constraints are not theoretical. They cost real money in real time.

INL Is in Ludicrous Mode
Todd Combs offered what may have been the most headline-grabbing update of the panel. Following a series of executive orders from the Trump administration last May, the Idaho National Laboratory has been operating at what Combs called ludicrous mode for the past year, with a directive to bring three reactors to critical sustained nuclear fission before July 4, 2026.

"Multiple companies now have a realistic path to going critical by the deadline, with a microreactor currently being installed inside INL's historic Experimental Breeder Reactor Two dome," Said Todd Combs.

To put the historical significance in perspective: between 1950 and 1980, INL conducted 52 nuclear reactor tests. There has not been a reactor demonstrated on site since. The lab now has ten on its current timeline, with multiple companies racing to become the 53rd reactor ever tested at INL.

Combs also outlined the distinction between microreactors (up to 20 megawatts), small modular reactors (up to roughly 300 megawatts), and traditional utility-scale nuclear. Microreactors carry the promise of factory manufacturing and assembly-line production, which could dramatically accelerate cost reduction. Small modular reactors are more complex and likely three to seven years from first-of-a-kind to commercial deployment. The United States does not yet have an operating SMR, though TerraPower is expected to bring one online around 2030.

Combs also noted a striking irony: Idaho has been home to the nation's nuclear laboratory for decades, yet uses very little nuclear power itself. His question to the room was pointed. Is Idaho prepared to embrace it?

Solar Is Fast, Cheap, and Part of the Answer
Theresa Foxley made the case for solar not as a replacement for other energy sources, but as an essential piece of a diversified portfolio. RPLUS Energies, an independent power producer, has built 500 megawatts of solar in Idaho and recently completed the Pleasant Valley Solar Project, a 200 megawatt facility developed and brought online in under four years.

"Solar is readily available. We can build these projects very quickly," Foxley said. "It's low cost, rapidly deployable technology, and we firmly believe it needs to be part of the solution."

Richins reinforced that point from the Idaho Power side, noting that solar helps the utility conserve its hydro resources during peak daylight hours, effectively using sunlight to save water for when it is needed most. The two resources work in tandem, and both are part of how Idaho Power plans to meet a demand curve that is expected to roughly double by 2030.

What Idaho Needs to Do Better
​Richins closed the panel by asking each member to identify the single most important thing Idaho needs to improve to compete for AI investment and advanced manufacturing. The answers were consistent in theme if different in framing.

Gilchrist pointed to permitting and regulatory efficiency. Rate cases, interconnection reviews, and infrastructure approvals move far too slowly given the pace of growth. He noted that one transmission project in Idaho has been in the permitting process for 21 years and still has not been built.

Foxley focused on public-private alignment. She cited data showing that over 700 hyperscale data center projects want to come online in the United States before 2030. Last year alone, 18 were canceled due to permitting issues and 17 more were delayed. Idaho can capture its share of that opportunity, she argued, but only if communities, regulators, and utilities are aligned before companies commit capital.

Combs raised a broader question: does Idaho actually want to embrace AI and the infrastructure that comes with it? He noted that states willing to lean in will benefit, and those that hesitate risk being leapfrogged by others that do. His challenge to the room was to match the state's nuclear heritage with a forward-looking willingness to host the next generation of energy technology.

Richins summed it up by returning to a theme he had woven throughout the discussion, borrowing from the story of Kobe Bryant's relentless focus on the fundamentals. For Idaho Power, and for Idaho broadly, that means affordability, reliability, and clear communication. The growth is real, the constraints are real, and the opportunity is real. The question is whether Idaho can execute on the basics while navigating an entirely new level of complexity.

Adam Richins, Hart Gilchrist, Theresa Foxley, and Todd Combs delivered these remarks at the Boise Metro Chamber's 2026 Regional Leadership Conference on April 20, 2026. This blog post was prepared from a transcript using the help of AI.

Thank you to Kendall Ford Commercial RV Service for hosting last week’s Business After Hours Tradeshow!
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Guests enjoyed a great evening of networking, refreshments, and conversation while exploring Kendall Ford’s state‑of‑the‑art facility. Kendall Ford is a long‑standing Boise community partner, offering a full lineup of Ford vehicles along with commercial and RV sales, service, and expertise built around customer trust and innovation.
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We appreciate Kendall Ford’s hospitality and continued support of the Chamber and our business community.

Thank you to the following tradeshow vendors.
Alsco, Inc.
Assistance League of Boise
Boise Centre
Catholic Charities of Idaho
Cedar and Sage Homes LLC
Fairytale Studios
Girls on the Run
GoJoe Patrol
Horizon Credit Union
ICCU
IDeal-Idaho Education Savings Program
Juliet Blick - State Farm Insurance
Kendall Ford Commerical & RV Center
Morgen Marketing
NeighborWorks Boise
Office Evolution
Renewal by Andersen of Boise
Shurtleff Insurance & Financial Services
Stratus Services
The Wellness Center of Boise Gentler Chiropractic
Treasure Valley Litho
Your Health Idaho

From third-grade reading scores to small modular nuclear reactors, Governor Brad Little covered a lot of ground at the Boise Metro Chamber’s 2026 Governor’s Address to the Business Community. In a candid, conversational format, Little fielded questions on the topics business leaders care most about, and didn’t shy away from the hard ones, including growth.

Education: The Foundation of Everything
When asked why K–12 education has remained his top priority, Governor Little didn’t hesitate. “We spend half of all your tax money on K–12,” he said. “It’s pretty silly to do that if we’ve got a whole bunch of kids who can’t read.”

Literacy, he emphasized, is the linchpin. The state has increased literacy investment sevenfold and is changing instructional approaches with meaningful results. Little made the case that reading proficiency by the end of third grade is not just a personal milestone, it affects every student in the classroom.

He also pointed to a 70% increase in education funding since taking office, alongside gains in teacher pay and healthcare benefits, improvements he credited with reducing the long-standing wage disparity between Idaho and neighboring states like Washington, Oregon, and Wyoming. The result: better teacher retention, especially in rural districts.

Growth: A Problem Worth Having — If You Plan for It
With the Treasure Valley experiencing some of the fastest growth in the nation, the question of how to manage it drew one of Little’s more colorful responses. Speaking to a room full of Chamber members, he acknowledged that a random poll of 100 Idahoans might show most are opposed to growth, before pivoting quickly to the business community’s responsibility to reframe the conversation.

“You either have growth or you’re flat and you go backwards,” he said. “What we have to do is prudently plan for it and make the investments early, so we’re ready for it.”

That planning, Little stressed, requires collaboration across cities, counties, and metropolitan planning organizations. Housing affordability in particular demands coordinated investment in sewer, water, roads, and workforce, and the governor signaled his intent to significantly accelerate those efforts.

He drew a sharp contrast with where Idaho once stood: “When I first became Lieutenant Governor, we had 10% unemployment — 100,000 people out of work. There were no bad jobs.” Today, he said, Idaho has the luxury of being selective about the kind of growth it invites, and the Chamber has a role in communicating that distinction.

Water and Wildfire: Planning for What’s Coming
Following a winter with little snowpack, Little was candid about the fire season ahead: “I am very concerned.” He outlined a multi-layered strategy and earlier response to ignitions, contract aircraft and crews, and a strengthened partnership with the new federal administration through the Forest Service and BLM.

He also praised Idaho’s local response infrastructure, including farmers, ranchers, loggers, and rural fire departments who are often the first on scene, and credited the new Forest Service chief’s philosophy of attacking fires at first spark as a meaningful shift in approach.

On water, Little highlighted the significance of $30 million in annual dedicated funding, an investment he worked to embed into the state’s long-term appropriations process. Plans to expand Anderson Ranch Reservoir are underway, with construction expected within two years. And looking further ahead, he pointed to the Snake River Plain aquifer that is a Lake Erie-sized underground reserve and the most efficient long-term water storage option, one that will require continued investment in recharge infrastructure.

Energy: Hydropower, Nuclear, and What’s Next
Idaho’s energy advantage, the lowest avoided cost of any state in the nation, is something Little is proud of and determined to protect and build upon. Hydropower remains the backbone, but acknowledge the challenges Idaho faces with a lack of excess energy.

The Governor expressed enthusiasm for nuclear energy as the next frontier. Idaho has submitted a bid to the Department of Energy for a lifecycle nuclear energy award, and three small modular reactors (SMRs) are on track to reach criticality at Idaho National Laboratory. Little’s vision extends beyond powering Idaho, he sees the state as a design and manufacturing hub for SMR technology that can be deployed across the country and exported globally.
Geothermal also received attention as a growing opportunity, while Little flagged natural gas capacity constraints as a near-term challenge requiring attention.

Transportation: Collaboration Is the Starting Line
Acknowledging that significant transportation investments have already been made, and visible across the Treasure Valley, Little was direct about what comes next, and how communities need to get on the same page. The path forward, he argued, runs through collaborative planning and partnership with cities, counties, and metropolitan planning organizations working together and with the community to define shared priorities. More resources will be needed, but alignment must come first.

Keeping Idaho Kids in Idaho
Asked what he’d prioritize next if given a free hand, Little returned to a theme he’s championed throughout his tenure: keeping Idaho’s young talent in state. His answer connected workforce development, quality of life, and outdoor recreation into a single pitch.

“You can’t beat a good job,” he said. When students graduate and see strong career opportunities, especially through industry partnerships with Idaho’s four-year institutions and community colleges, they stay. And what keeps them long-term, he noted, is quality of life: less time in traffic, more time outdoors.

“There’s no better recruitment than bringing somebody to Boise and having them ski in the morning, fish at noon in the river, and golf in the afternoon,” he said. “There aren’t very many communities where you can do that.”

A Call to Engagement
In closing, Little turned the mic back to the room. The Chamber’s role, he argued, is to make the affirmative case for smart, managed growth, and to counter the narrative that growth and quality of life are at odds.

“The burden on the chamber and its members is to say: yes, but. Yes, but if you want the quality of life that you came here for, we’re going to have to invest in education, in roads, in public safety.”
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It’s a message the governor has delivered consistently, and one that carries particular weight when delivered to a room full of the business leaders who help shape Idaho’s future every day.

Governor Brad Little delivered these remarks at the Boise Metro Chamber's 2026 Governor's Address to the Business Community on April 1, 2026 at The Grove Hotel. This blog post was prepared from a transcript using the help of AI.

Thank you to the following sponsors for making this event possible: Presenting sponsors: ICCU and Simplot Co-sponsors: Albertsons, Gardner Company, Idaho Complete Health, Intermountain Gas Company, Lamb Weston, Micron, and Regence BlueShield of Idaho.
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