northwestern energy

NorthWestern Energy has announced it will go to Montana regulators to ask for authority to raise rates for electric and natural gas customers – about two years after they filed for their last rate review.

The short-term fate of NorthWestern Energy’s new methane-fired power plant in Laurel and whether it was properly granted permits now rests in the hands of the Montana Supreme Court.

Richard Dunbar writes, "Those criticizing NorthWestern should take a closer look at the reason they are being forced into buying power on the open market in the first place, and give credit where credit is due—because at the end of the day, the critics of NorthWestern’s all-of-the-above energy strategy are the ones directly responsible for everyone paying more for power."

While NorthWestern Energy was able to secure electricity on the regional market to meet demand in Montana during last week's deep freeze, utility watchdogs are asking why it's coal-fired generating station was offline.

Montana's largest power company delivered nearly 1,200 megawatts of electricity at peak hours during the recent Arctic freeze that fell over the state, nearly double what it was producing before the storm.

In an effort that has taken several years to accomplish and saw multiple partners at the table, the city and county of Missoula on Monday night adopted the term sheet for a new green power program – the first of its kind in Montana.

On a 5-0 vote, the all-Republican commission approved a settlement this fall that translates into a 24% electricity rate hike for residential customers and 25% jump for small businesses compared to rates in August 2022.

Mike Garrity writes, "As the technology for wind and solar energy has improved and prices have dropped for solar panels, the cost for renewable sources of electricity that have come online in the last decade are far cheaper, cleaner, and more efficient than NWE's carbon-based electricity generation such as Colstrip or its methane plants."

The Public Service Commission needs to reconsider its recent rate hike for NorthWestern Energy because its order invents a “magical” new standard to evaluate costs and sends shareholders $3.4 million that belongs to Montanas.

Monica Tranel writes, "As the first snow is falling, and freezing temperatures hit, we are getting pummeled with another huge energy rate increase, thanks to the five Republicans on the Montana Public Service Commission."