Powerlist – Juliet Peterson, P.E. – Idaho Power

As Idaho’s population surges, Juliet Petersen, P.E., is at the forefront of powering the state’s rapid growth. As the Stations Engineering and Design leader at Idaho Power, Petersen has spearheaded critical infrastructure projects to meet the escalating energy demands of new businesses and residents.

“Idaho continues to be one of the nation’s fastest growing states,” Petersen said. “This influx translated into a dramatic increase in the workload for our substation engineering and design teams.”

In the past year, Petersen’s team has designed substations for major economic developments across Idaho, including Lamb Weston’s new French fry processing plant in American Falls, Micron’s memory manufacturing facility in Boise, and Meta’s data center in Kuna.

Petersen, who holds a B.S.E.E. from the University of Idaho and is a Professional Engineer, has also led efforts to connect hundreds of megawatts of renewable generation and Idaho Power’s first grid-scale energy storage projects.

“Having batteries on our system is a game-changer for maximizing the integration of wind and solar,” Petersen said. “These are critical steps toward reaching the company’s 2045 clean energy goal.”

Peterson said the goal is to create clean energy “highways” to address growing energy demands. This includes significant substation upgrades for 500-kV transmission line projects.

Petersen emphasizes the importance of STEM education and skilled trades in preparing Idaho’s workforce.

“The conversation needs to also include skilled craft workers,” she said, highlighting Northwest Lineman College and College of Western Idaho as valuable resources for technical training in high-demand fields.