Minidoka Power Plant Up, Running Smoothly

The new $62 million power plant at Minidoka Dam on the Snake River is running so smoothly that a nickel balances atop a 30-ton generator bearing.

It is an old trick engineers use to test for vibration, mechanical construction inspector John Milles said. Vibration is something dam overseers do not want to see in their brand-new plant.

They kept a close eye on the coin when the 70-ton turbines were set in motion Thursday as part of the dedication ceremony by the Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power Administration.

“It’s a good day for Reclamation,” agency Regional Director John Keys said.

Completed in 1909, Minidoka was the third hydroelectric plant built by the Federal Reclamation Service, now the Bureau of Reclamation. The old power plant will be a museum now.

Construction on the plant, which has been operational since April, began in 1993 and followed environmental regulations, Keys said.

Because the replacement plant was built on an existing wetland, Reclamation created new ones.

Burley City Councilman William Schafer, who worked at the old plant for 24 years, said designers were smart to funnel excess water to the turbines.