On Jan. 11 the U.S. Energy Information Administration published its 2021 outlook for electric generation power additions. Wind and solar will contribute 70%. Only 16% of added gigawatts will
come from natural gas. NorthWestern Energy must be made to pay attention to the significance of these statistics.
NWE has informed the Montana Public Service Commission that it intends to construct 4 gas powered plants at a cost of $2 billion, not including land acquisition and construction costs for
pipelines. NWE is currently soliciting bids for the first of these plants, and will be seeking PSC construction approval based upon dubious claims of future peak load deficits.
Why does NWE want to build gas plants when lithium battery storage renewable facilities are less costly and operate on free fuel from sunshine and wind? The answer is a no-brainer: greed.
NWE makes more money if it builds the most costly generating capacity it can convince the PSC to approve. The PSC permits (in accordance with law) NWE to recover (from its customers) building costs, plus interest, over a power source’s lifetime, plus a fixed percentage (about 9%) above annual operating costs. New gas plants and pipelines costing $2.5 billion would add $225 million annually to NWE’s income, plus 9% profit above the annual cost of operating the plants and buying natural gas.
Fossil fuel plants are not planned by other northwest utilities; they are closing them, while constructing solar and wind farms. Nevertheless, NWE seeks to ignore the cost and environmental
benefits of solar and wind construction/ operation. It believes it can direct the decisions of the Montana PSC, or if that fails, by influence derived from campaign contributions to the Republican
dominated state Legislature.
Opposition will require vigilance. NWE can be turned from greed to the public interest by involved and knowledgeable citizens.
Jerome S. Kalur
Bozeman
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Letter to the Editor 1/28/21