Montana debates future sources for power generation

Renewable energy and fossil fuel advocates made their case to Montana regulators Friday for how to boost the state’s electricity generation to make up for an expected drop in the region’s power supply as coal-fired plants are shut down in the coming years.

The Montana Public Service Commission held a crowded public hearing in the state Capitol and heard the state’s largest electricity supplier say it plans to add 725 megawatts of power generation by 2025.

More than 3,500 megawatts of coal-fired electricity are expected to go offline in the Northwest in the coming years, company officials estimate. NorthWestern won’t be able to depend on buying electricity on the open market to make up for what it expects will be a 725-megawatt shortfall during peak customer demand using its current power facilities, Hines said.

By MATT VOLZ