Washington utility inks deal to buy Montana wind power

Puget Sound Energy announced Wednesday an agreement to buy power from an eastern Montana wind farm as the Washington state utility that co-owns the Colstrip power plant seeks to reduce its carbon emissions.

PSE signed a 20-year agreement with a NextEra Energy Resources subsidiary to purchase 350 megawatts of power from the Clearwater Wind Project proposed about 60 miles north of Colstrip, utility officials said.

The agreement allows PSE to use existing transmission lines from the Colstrip plant to deliver electricity to customers in western Washington.