Continuous News

Northwestern Energy shareholders and customers won't feel effects of failed power deal

Posted: Oct 3, 2012 9:16 PM by Katy Harris KXLF News

Northwestern Energy has decided to stop a project that would bring renewable energy from Montana to the southwest region of the US.
Northwestern Energy's Mountain States Transmission Intertie project or MSTI project, would've included installing a power line from Townsend, Montana to Midpoint, Idaho.
That power could be directed to places as far away as southern California and Nevada.
Bonneville Power Administration was considering the project to reach their customers in southern Idaho, but didn't rank it first on their list of options.
Now Northwestern Energy has decided to temporarily pull the plug on the project.
"Because of the market uncertainty that's out there right now and just the way things are kind of stacking up right now, it's just not time for it right now," says Northwestern Energy Corporate Communications Director Claudia Rapkoch.
She says Northwestern Energy stocks were actually up despite the announcement to stop the power project.
Shareholders and customers should not be affected by decision to stop the 24 million dollar project.
Rapkoch adds, "This line was never intended to support our native load in Montana so therefore there's no cost to our customers and so the action that we may take still has no effect on our customers going forward."
The MSTI project will continue to be an ongoing discussion at Northwestern Energy.
Northwestern Energy employees working on the MSTI Project have been moved to other projects and will not be effected by the changes.