Commission receives filing for dam purchases
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HELENA –The Montana Public Service Commission received NorthWestern Energy’s formal filing seeking PSC approval of the purchase of 11 Montana hydroelectric dams currently owned by PPL.
The PSC will now have 45 days to review the application before notifying NorthWestern on the adequacy of the filing. Including these 45 days for sufficiency review, the Commission will have nine months, plus an additional 90 days, if necessary, to make a final determination on whether or not to approve the purchase.
If approved, the $900 million purchase price for the 11 dams would provide the utility company with an additional generating capacity of 633 megawatts, of which more than 400 megawatts of capacity would be owned long-term by NorthWestern. Approximately 340,000 Montana ratepayers who utilize the services and energy provided by NorthWestern would be affected by the potential sale.
“NorthWestern’s proposed purchase of PPL’s hydroelectric dams has been public knowledge for a while, but this formal filing allows the Public Service Commission to begin a thorough and exhaustive review of the potential sale,” said Chairman Bill Gallagher of Helena. There will be a public hearing on the matter and we welcome public input throughout the review process. The documents and opportunity to comment can both be found on the PSC website at www.psc.mt.gov.
