PNGC Power and Kindle Energy Announce Partnership to Develop State-of-the-Art Power Plant to Strengthen Energy Reliability and Affordability in the Northwest
April 23, 2026 — PNGC Power and Kindle Energy today announced a partnership to develop a state-of-the-art natural gas power plant in northern Idaho designed to help meet the growing reliability needs of the Pacific Northwest and serve the long-term energy needs of communities and electric cooperatives across the region.
The project can provide around-the-clock power at a time when the region is facing a widening gap between electricity supply and demand driven by population growth, electrification, changing hydro conditions, and the retirement or reduced availability of other power resources. This has created increasing pressure on the regional electric grid, particularly during extreme weather events. The facility is being developed to improve reliability in the Northwest while helping ensure cooperative consumers across the region continue to have access to affordable power and stable rates.
Planned as an advanced combined-cycle facility, the project is expected to be among the most efficient and lowest-emitting gas-fired generation resources in the United States. By using advanced generation technology, the plant is intended to produce more electricity with less fuel and water than older thermal resources, lowering emissions intensity while providing the dependable power needed to support a modern grid. The project is also built for the future. The selected technology offers a pathway to hydrogen blending over time, including the potential for up to a 50 percent hydrogen blend as the technology, fuel supply, and supporting infrastructure evolve.
“This project is about serving Northwest communities with the reliable and affordable energy they will need in the years ahead,” said Jessica Matlock, Chief Executive Officer of PNGC Power. “The Pacific Northwest is entering a period of growing resource need, and electric cooperatives have a responsibility to plan ahead for their members. Partnering with Kindle Energy, a proven and reputable natural gas plant developer, allows us to advance a highly efficient resource that can help improve reliability, provide power when it is needed most, and help protect cooperative consumers from rising market volatility and long-term cost pressure.”
“Kindle Energy is proud to partner with PNGC Power on this important project for the Pacific Northwest,” said Lee Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Kindle Energy. “We believe reliable power remains essential to maintaining electric service and supporting regional growth. This project is being developed with a focus on efficiency, operational excellence, and long-term value for the communities and cooperative members it is intended to serve.”
While improving reliability and cost certainty, adding dependable power resources can also support continued development of renewable energy across the region by helping fill gaps when renewable generation is lower. The project will complement the region’s evolving energy portfolio with a dependable source of electricity that can perform when power demand is high, renewable generation is lower, or the grid is under stress. In doing so, it is expected to reduce exposure to increasingly volatile wholesale market prices and support a more balanced, resilient, and affordable power supply for PNGC Power’s member systems.
At a time when regional reliability assessments continue to show growing pressure on the Northwest power system, PNGC Power and Kindle Energy believe this project represents a practical, forward-looking investment in the infrastructure needed to keep the lights on and electric bills as stable and affordable as possible for the consumers and communities that depend on cooperative power.
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About PNGC Power
PNGC Power is an electric generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative owned by 25 Northwest electric distribution cooperative utilities with service territory in seven western states (Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming). The cooperative creates value for its member systems by providing power supply, transmission, and other management services. PNGC Power is an aggregator of geographically diverse loads in the region and became the first electric cooperative in the country to receive a power marketing license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. More information about PNGC Power can be found at www.pngcpower.com.
About Kindle Energy
Kindle Energy is an energy infrastructure development and asset management company focused on developing, acquiring, and managing power generation and related energy assets across the United States.