EXHIBIT 5(b)



                                                                    Exhibit 5(b)

                     LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, L.L.P.
                              125 West 55th Street
                            New York, New York 10019


                                  April 1, 2003

IDACORP, Inc.
1221 West Idaho Street
Boise, Idaho  83702-5627

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     We have acted as counsel to IDACORP, Inc., an Idaho corporation (the
"Company"), in connection with the preparation and filing of the registration
statement on Form S-8 (the "Registration Statement"), which the Company proposes
to file on or shortly after the date hereof under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the "Act").

     The Registration Statement relates to the issuance and sale by the Company
of 1,500,000 shares of its common stock, without par value (the "Stock"), and
the preferred share purchase rights attached thereto (the "Rights") (the Stock
and the Rights collectively referred to as the "Shares") pursuant to the Idaho
Power Company Employee Savings Plan (the "Plan").

     For purposes of this opinion, we have examined originals or copies,
certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of (i) the Registration
Statement; (ii) the Rights Agreement, dated as of September 10, 1998 between the
Company and Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota, National Association, as successor
Rights Agent to The Bank of New York (the "Rights Agreement"); (iii) the
Articles of Incorporation, as amended, and Amended Bylaws of the Company, as in
effect on the date hereof; (iv) resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors of
the Company relating to the Registration Statement, the Rights Agreement and the
issuance and sale of the Shares and (v) such other documents, certificates and
records as we have deemed necessary or appropriate. In such examination we have
assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents
submitted to us as originals, the conformity to the original documents of all
documents submitted to us as copies and the authenticity of the originals of
such latter documents. As to any facts material to our opinion, we have, when
relevant facts were not independently established, relied upon the aforesaid
agreements, instruments, records, certificates and documents. We have also
assumed the regularity of all corporate procedures.





IDACORP, Inc.
April 1, 2003
Page 2

     Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications and limitations
herein expressed, we are of the opinion that:

     (1)  The Stock will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and
          the Rights will be legally issued and binding obligations of the
          Company when (i) the Stock shall have been issued, sold and delivered
          in accordance with and for the consideration contemplated in the
          Registration Statement and in accordance with the actions hereinabove
          mentioned and (ii) the Rights shall have been issued in accordance
          with the terms of the Rights Agreement and in accordance with the
          actions hereinabove mentioned; and

     (2)  The Stock to be purchased in the open market is validly issued, fully
          paid and non-assessable, and the Rights attached thereto are legally
          issued and binding obligations of the Company.

     The matters relating to the Shares are governed by the law of the State of
Idaho. In regard to the Rights, we note that Section 30-1610 of the Idaho
Control Share Acquisition Law and Section 30-1706 of the Idaho Business
Combination Law each provides that nothing contained in either the Idaho Control
Share Acquisition Law (Sections 30-1601 through 30-1614) or the Idaho Business
Combination Law (Sections 30-1701 through 30-1710), respectively, is intended to
limit the corporate powers or authority of an "issuing public corporation" (as
defined in such statutes), such as the Company, to take actions "which the
directors may appropriately determine to be in furtherance of the protection of
the interests of the corporation and its shareholders, including without
limitation the authority to . . . enter into . . . arrangements", such as the
Rights Agreement, that "deny rights. . . to the holder or holders of at least a
specified number of shares or percentage of share ownership or voting power in
certain circumstances."

     Because we are not aware of any court decision applying the law of the
State of Idaho that addresses the effect of these statutory provisions or the
validity of plans similar to the Rights Agreement, it is difficult to express a
professional judgment as to how a court applying the law of the State of Idaho
would rule with respect to the issues relating to the Rights. Nevertheless, we
are able to advise you of our opinion as expressed herein, which reflects our
professional conclusion concerning how a court applying the law of the State of
Idaho (including, but not limited to, Section 30-1610 of the Idaho Control Share
Acquisition Law and Section 30-1706 of the Idaho Business Combination Law)
likely would rule. Although we are not admitted to practice in the State of
Idaho, we have conferred with Robert W. Stahman, Esq., Vice President, General
Counsel and Secretary of the Company, for purposes of rendering this opinion.
General Counsel and we have concluded that a court applying the law of the State
of Idaho, when presented with novel questions concerning takeover matters, such
as the effect of the statutory provisions cited above, the adoption by the
Company of the Rights Agreement and the status of the Rights, most likely would
apply the corporate law of the State of Delaware, the most fully developed body
of corporate law in the United States. Accordingly, in rendering our opinion, we
have assumed that Delaware corporate law, as expressed in court decisions
applying that law, with which we are familiar, provides an indication of what
standards a court would apply if it were required to apply the law of the State
of Idaho considering the matters relating to the




IDACORP, Inc.
April 1, 2003
Page 3

Rights. If, however, such a court did not apply the corporate law of Delaware to
the Rights Agreement and the Rights, we cannot express a professional judgment
as to the conclusions such a court would reach or as to the effect of such
conclusions, whether positive or negative, on the Rights.

     Our opinions expressed above are limited to the laws of the State of New
York, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, the applicable
provisions of the Constitution of the State of Delaware and the reported
judicial decisions interpreting the Delaware laws, and the federal laws of the
United States. Insofar as this opinion involves matters of the law of the State
of Idaho, we have relied upon an opinion of even date herewith addressed to you
by Robert W. Stahman, Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of the
Company.

     We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement and the reference to our firm contained therein under the
heading "Interests of Named Experts and Counsel." In giving such consent, we do
not thereby concede that we are within the category of persons whose consent is
required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the
Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder.

                                      Very truly yours,


                                      /s/ LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae, L.L.P.