NorthWestern Energy is withdrawing its request for regulatory approval to build a new natural gas-fired power plant in Laurel, opting to move forward without approval.
Bozeman, Helena, and Missoula have all set goals to get off fossil fuel power by 2035, while NorthWestern Energy appears to be dragging its feet on its promised green energy
TOM LUTEY
There will be an investigation into the Montana Public Service Commissionâs decision not to allow NorthWestern Energy to bill customers $6 million for costs related to a months-long malfunction at Colstrip Power Plant.
The investigation will focus on whether PSCâs decisions about not billing customers for replacement power related to Colstrip shutdowns hurt NorthWestern Energyâs bond rating, as well as how not being billed affected customers.
Most recently, commissioners disallowed customers being billed $6 million for replacement power stemming from 77-days in the summer of 2018 during which Colstrip Units 3 and 4 couldnât meet mercury air toxics standards because of hazardous air pollutant levels. Commissioners concluded that costs were avoidable had NorthWestern managed the situation differently. The decision was made in the fall of 2020 and it resulted in a customer rebate of more than $9 million, in part because NorthWestern had been
The Colstrip Steam Electric Station
A bill that would have allowed Montana’s largest electric utility to recover costs and a rate of return from its customers for coal-fired power generation was tabled in committee Wednesday.
Senate Bill 379 from Republican Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick of Great Falls has drawn heated testimony from supporters who say it would ensure NorthWestern Energy customers a reliable source of power from Colstrip and opponents who say customers would be saddled with costs the utility never spent.
The policy passed through the Senate earlier this month but was tabled in the House Energy, Technology and Federal Relations Committee on a 11-1 vote Wednesday.
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