MTPR

energy

Montana Regulators Endorse $6.5M NorthWestern Rate Increase

By • Nov 7, 2019
NorthWestern Energy building in Butte, Montana.
Nora Saks / Montana Public Radio

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Montana Public Service Commission has approved a $6.5 million rate increase for NorthWestern Energy customers, less than 20 percent of the increase the utility initially sought.

Power Outage Affects 12,000 Customers In Montana Capital

By & • Oct 24, 2019
Power line.
(PD)

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A power outage affected at least 12,000 customers throughout Montana's capital Thursday, darkening traffic signals and public buildings and delaying a women's basketball game being attended by 19 busloads of elementary school students.

The outage that began shortly before noon and left many areas of the city of 32,000, along with neighboring East Helena, without power. According to the Independent Record, power was restored by 1:42 p.m. for most customers.

Rocky Mountain States Lag Behind In Energy Efficiency

By • Oct 1, 2019

A clean energy report released Tuesday ranks states on their green energy-friendly policies, and some parts of the Rocky Mountain region are lagging behind coastal states.

How Big Oil Of The Past Helped Launch The Solar Industry Of Today

By Andrea Hsu • Sep 30, 2019

Call it a sign of the times.

Renewable energy has gotten so cheap that even oil giant Exxon Mobil, which reported $20.8 billion in earnings in 2018, is getting in on the savings.

Greater Home Code Compliance Could Reduce Energy Bills, Emissions

By • Aug 2, 2019


A study recently found that roughly three-quarters of new homes in Montana meet state energy codes meant to curb electricity bills and increase durability.

Plastic Has A Big Carbon Footprint — But That Isn't The Whole Story

By Christopher Joyce • Jul 9, 2019

Plastic waste gets a lot of attention when photos of dead whales with stomachs full of plastic bags hit the news. Pieces of plastic also litter cities, and tiny plastic particles are even floating in the air.

Largely overlooked is how making plastic in the first place affects the environment, especially global warming. Plastic actually has a big carbon footprint, but so do many of the alternatives to plastic. And that's what makes replacing plastic a problem without a clear solution.

Colstrip Power Plant Units 1 And 2 To Close This Year

By • Jun 11, 2019
Power plant at Colstrip, MT.
Beth Saboe / MontanaPBS

Units 1 and 2 of the coal-fired power plant in Colstrip will permanently close at the end of this year. Plant operator Talen Energy made that announcement in a press release Tuesday, saying the company has been unsuccessful in making the units economically viable. Talen says the plant’s newer units, 3 and 4, will remain open.

Greens Ask State Regulators For Colstrip Rate Relief

By • May 23, 2019
NorthWestern Energy building in Butte, Montana.
Nora Saks / Montana Public Radio

Environmental advocacy groups and the state’s largest utility company are arguing over how much customers should pay for power coming from the coal-fired power plant in Colstrip.

For the first time in 10 years Montana regulators are revisiting NorthWestern Energy’s ownership at Colstrip in a big picture look at how much the company earns and charges its customers.

Rooftop Solar Customers Could See Higher Rates Under NorthWestern Plan

By • May 23, 2019
NorthWestern Energy is asking the state Public Service Commission (PSC) to approve a new fee that certain customers will have to pay if they generate more energy than they use and feed it onto the electric grid, a process known as net-metering.
iStock

Advocates for homeowners generating electricity through rooftop solar panels protested a request by the state’s largest utility Thursday that could increase power bills for some of those customers.

NorthWestern Energy Switching To More Eco-Friendly Street Lamps

By • Apr 22, 2019

NorthWestern Energy is outfitting 43,000 streetlights across Montana with new energy-efficient bulbs, as old, potentially hazardous fixtures are recycled.

Falling prices have made the LED streetlight bulb a cost effective option for NorthWestern, especially as manufacturers warn the utility that traditional high-pressure sodium lights might not be available much longer.

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