northwestern energy

NorthWestern still hadn’t adequately explained its “cost of service” studies, or how it allocates costs among different types of customers, such as residential or businesses, regulators said at their meeting Tuesday.

NorthWestern Energy said in a recent letter it is “essential” for the utility to be able to close advisory meetings that are technical in nature, and it also said its technical advisors represent varying interests as required by law.

Officials with the power company have argued repeatedly that they’ve had to raise residential power rates because those rates have been subsidized by larger industrial and commercial carriers.

NorthWestern Energy said it is “under earning” and needs more money from customers, but the Montana Public Service Commission said Tuesday the materials it filed fail to meet the minimum standards to make the case.

The Montana Public Service Commission voted unanimously this week to ask NorthWestern Energy to address allegations it selected members of an advisory committee contrary to state statute and has held meetings closed to the public.

NorthWestern Energy argues that Montana needs the reliable baseload power that Colstrip provides to meet growing demand, supplemented by growing wind and solar energy on the grid.

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.