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.
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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