Wind Power News: Montana
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Avista eyes Montana wind energy
Colstrip Power Plant owner Avista Corp. is eyeing 300 megawatts of Montana wind power over the next seven years as it determines where its future energy will come from. The Spokane-based utility included Montana wind energy in its preferred strategy for resources, with 100 megawatts of the capacity coming online in 2023, plus an additional 100 in 2024, and another 100 megawatts of capacity in 2028. Details were disclosed April 2 in the utility’s 2021 Integrated Resource Plan, which gives . . . Complete story »
PSC sets terms for small renewable energy projects
The Montana Public Service Commission is starting to unwind renewable energy policies ruled unlawful by the state Supreme Court. Commissioners last week set 20-year contracts for renewable energy projects that qualify for favorable treatment under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act. More often referred to as PURPA, the policy requires that alternative energy projects smaller than 80 megawatts in capacity receive favorable prices and contract lengths from utilities. It’s the PSC that sets the terms. Previously, the court ruled the . . . Complete story »
Trifecta: Missoula, Bozeman, Helena team up in push for green tariff
With parallel goals of addressing the climate crisis and reducing carbon emissions, the city and county of Missoula, along with the cities of Bozeman and Helena, have formally adopted a joint agreement to work with NorthWestern Energy in developing a green tariff. The agreement, now approved by all four governments, authorizes them to hire a national consultant with expertise in designing utility rates and green tariffs. The consultant will collaborate with NorthWestern in developing the tariff – a move intended . . . Complete story »
Roaring speeds meant little wind energy in Montana on Jan. 13
NorthWestern Energy’s energy portfolio that serves Montana customers includes 450 megawatts of wind energy, a piece of the diverse 67% carbon-free energy mix. Wind is a good clean energy resource, the company said in a news release, but it is not a capacity resource available 24/7. Because it is a variable resource, it creates unique challenges to operating the energy grid reliably. The windstorm that ripped across Montana on Jan. 13 is an example of that challenge. Gusts ranged from . . . Complete story »
$500 million Rapelje wind farm wins lawsuit against PSC
Another renewable energy project has won a lawsuit against Montana’s Public Service Commission. District Judge Kathy Seeley of Helena threw out most of the commission’s work on Caithness Beaver Creek, a $500 million wind and battery storage project located near Rapelje. The judge, in her ruling, said the terms set by the PSC underpaid Caithness for the electricity it’s to sell to NorthWestern Energy, the state’s largest monopoly utility. It was the third time this year a court has ruled . . . Complete story »
As coal taxes decline, Republicans eye renewables
Citing a need to “level the playing field” on energy taxes, Montana’s majority Republican Legislature will consider raising taxes on wind and solar developments as the coal industry struggles. The tax increase on renewables isn’t likely to replace all of the revenue lost to coal’s decline, but it would help, said state Sen. Duane Ankney, a Republican from Colstrip, home to a large, but struggling, coal-fired power plant and coal mine. “I see it as a backfill for a lot . . . Complete story »
Is wind farm the beginning of the end?
This Billings Gazette subscriber, born and educated in Montana and now a resident of Texas, has read with disturbing interest the construction of a wind farm south of the town of Bridger overlooking the Pryor Mountains. Montana, with its stunning landscapes, from mountain scenery, to tranquil lakes, roaring rivers and lush prairies, is considered one of the best places to visit by visitors from all over the world. Now, its idyllic view of the Pryor Mountains is being disturbed by . . . Complete story »
Wind farm projects lining up to call hills around south-central Montana town home
In the hills around Rapelje, where jackrabbits far outnumber people, there’s a renewable energy powerhouse in the making. Wind farms, four of them in various stages of development, promise to deliver up to 480 megawatts of capacity just as planned coal power plant retirements in Montana are escalating. There are 80 megawatts of generation spinning at Stillwater Wind, and four projects of similar size on a slow walk through the regulatory process of Montana’s Public Service Commission. A little further . . . Complete story »
NorthWestern Energy power plan heard in Billings
In Billings, the biggest city in Montana coal country, people, a few, finally spoke in support of NorthWestern Energy’s fossil-fuel-heavy plan to keep half the state powered up for the next 20 years. In the final 35 minutes of a two hour hearing about the utility’s 20-year supply plan, witnesses spoke passionately about coal, Colstrip Power Plant and their faith in NorthWestern’s plan to essentially double the generation capacity in its portfolio. The expansion, the utility says, is needed to . . . Complete story »
Next-gen wind farm stalls under PSC terms
A cutting-edge wind farm paired with battery storage cannot advance under what developers are calling unworkable terms set by Montana’s Public Service Commission. Caithness Beaver Creek is asking the state’s utility regulators to reconsider terms for the $500 million project near Rapelje. Terms by which Caithness was to sell renewable energy to the utility NorthWestern Energy were set by the PSC in early December. The PSC put the overall avoided cost of the energy at $6 a megawatt hour effectively . . . Complete story »
