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NorthWestern Energy’s power plan found ‘deficient’ by independent review (MTFP)

“Montana Public Service Commission orders utility to address flaws for how it will provide affordable power.

NorthWestern Energy has been ordered by state regulators to take its 20-year power plan back to the drawing board. 

The move comes after analysts for the Montana Public Service Commission found deficiencies with the utility’s Integrated Resource Plan, or IRP. It’s essentially a roadmap that estimates power needs and how the utility will cost-effectively supply that power to its customers over the next two decades. 

Commissioners voted 3-1 last week to require NorthWestern to address flaws found in the plan, according to an independent review from the consulting firm GDS. There are five commissioners on the PSC, but Billings-based Commissioner Brad Molnar is currently suspended from his role.

In a press release August 19 about the decision, PSC Vice President Jennifer Fielder wrote, “Requesting critical information to fill the gaps in this plan is a critical quality control step so that future energy resource decisions rest on a plan that is complete, transparent, and verifiable.”

The GDS report found that NorthWestern’s IRP does not explain why the utility needs to invest in new, expensive power resources to meet demands. The report also questions the reproducibility of NorthWestern’s modeling to forecast demand and justify the cost of building new power generation, such as natural gas plants.

Fitzmaurice said NorthWestern’s modeling relies on maintaining existing coal infrastructure and adding more natural gas resources. That will drive up bills, he said, and “lead to a lot more greenhouse gas emissions and climate harm.”

In a separate issue, NorthWestern has entered into several agreements to power data centers that have not been made publicly available. The GDS report highlighted the IRP’s uncertainty about data centers’ future power needs.

Fitzmaurice said without regulations in place, the utility could pass on the cost of energy generation for power-hungry data centers to its existing customers across the state.” 

Bouncing Back: Spokane's plans for rebuilding (SBJ)

“The city of Spokane is preparing to accelerate debris removal, testing permits, and reconstruction efforts as property owners affected by the Spokane Complex Fires face what officials expect will be a lengthy rebuilding effort.

The fires burned hundreds of homes and torched nearly 10,000 acres, and the Spokane County Assessor's office estimates damages will exceed $1 billion, says Tami Palmquist, director of the city's Development Services Center.

City officials don’t yet know how quickly building permit applications will arrive or whether a surge could strain permitting staff. The timing will depend largely on homeowners working through insurance claims and deciding whether to rebuild the same home, construct something different, or leave affected neighborhoods, says Palmquist.

The city has open positions it could fill if additional employees are needed, as well as contracts with third-party reviewers that could provide additional capacity if applications begin arriving faster than city employees can process them, Palmquist says.

“Our anticipation is that we would prioritize these home permits to get people back to normality,” Palmquist says.

The city also reduced the demolition permit fee by 90% for affected homeowners as officials look for ways to remove financial and administrative obstacles during recovery, Palmquist explains. Those permits are now just over $30 for impacted residents.

Once properties are cleared, the recovery will increasingly shift toward construction activity. Some residents may rebuild essentially the same home, while others could redesign, change the size of their homes, or add accessory dwelling units, also known as ADUs, Palmquist says. Others may decide not to rebuild at all.”

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