Two-and-a-half years after NorthWestern Energy announced plans to increase its share of Montana’s largest power plant, Montana’s biggest utility has released more information about the operation and maintenance costs that will accompany the acquisition. READ THE MOTION Download

NorthWestern wrote in an Aug. 29 filing that assuming Washington-based utility Avista’s share of the 40-year-old coal-fired power plant in Colstrip will cost the company about $18 million in operation and maintenance expenses annually. Avista must pull out of the plant by the end of this year to comply with climate laws Washington legislators passed in 2019.

In 2023, NorthWestern told energy industry professionals and policymakers that the larger ownership share would help the company in a “critical” endeav

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