At the December 20, 2022 Business Meeting, the Montana Public Service Commission (the Commission) adopted new rules on electric utility competitive bidding and other issues. The new rules took effect on January 14, 2023. [Read more…]
NIPPC Releases Whitepaper on How Competition Improves Decarbonization
July 27, 2022 By
On July 20, 2022, the Northwest & Intermountain Power Producers Coalition (NIPPC) released a whitepaper titled “The Role of Competition in the Pacific Northwest Clean Energy Transition,” that examines how wholesale and retail competition in the power sector can contribute to the Pacific Northwest’s decarbonization goals. [Read more…]
The Montana Supreme Court Rules Against the Montana Commission’s Approval of Shorter Contract Terms and Lower Avoided Cost Prices
September 1, 2020 By
On August 24, 2020, the Montana Supreme Court ruled against the Montana Public Service Commission’s (Montana Commission) actions to reduce avoided cost rates and shorten contract terms for power purchase agreements between the utilities and solar Qualifying Facilities (QFs). The ruling is a victory for renewable energy developers and advocates, as it upheld an integral piece of the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act of 1978’s (PURPA) that encourages QF development. [Read more…]
Montana District Court Reverses Public Service Commission on PURPA
June 28, 2019 By
On June 18, 2019, a Montana State District Court reversed the Montana Public Service Commission (Commission or MPSC), finding that MTSUN, a qualifying facility under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), was entitled to a 25-year contract to sell its energy and capacity to NorthWestern Energy. The case was heard before the same Judge that decided the QF-1 docket on April 2, 2019 and to a large degree the decision is the same. [Read more…]
Montana District Court Finds that Public Service Commission Acted Arbitrarily and Unreasonably
April 8, 2019 By
On April 3, 2019, a Montana District Court Judge, Judge Manley, issued an order reversing the Montana Public Service Commission’s (“Montana Commission”) orders 7500c and 7500d that cut Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (“PURPA”) standard avoided cost prices and contract lengths for qualifying facilities (“QFs”) offered by Montana utility NorthWestern Energy (“NorthWestern”). [Read more…]
