Puget Sound Energy to transfer Colstrip Unit 3 and 4 ownership

Colstrip Generating Station in Eastern Montana
Photo by Patrick Webb

BELLEVUE, Wash. (July 30, 2024) – As part of its pathway to complying with Washington State’s Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), Puget Sound Energy has signed an agreement to transfer its ownership in Units 3 and 4 of the Colstrip Generating Station in Eastern Montana to NorthWestern Energy effective December 31, 2025.

Under CETA, the state’s electric utilities must remove coal-fired generation serving Washington state customers by the end of 2025. PSE is one of six owners in Unit 3 and 4, holding a 25% interest in each unit. 

There are no changes to PSE’s ownership rights in the Colstrip transmission system as part of this agreement.

“PSE customers want clean energy and we are committed to providing it as we plan for our future in accordance with Washington state law,” said Ron Roberts, senior vice president of Energy Resources for PSE. “We are happy to find a partner in NorthWestern and for the future of the Colstrip plant to be in Montana’s control.”

PSE continues to invest in the diverse energy resources of Montana, announcing last week a power purchase agreement for a 315 MW wind farm under development in Wheatland and Meagher County. 

PSE is currently developing the Beaver Creek Wind Farm, a 248 MW project located in Stillwater County. 

Other recent examples include power purchase agreements with Energy Keepers, Inc., the tribally owned corporation of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes for hydroelectric power, and an agreement with NextEra for power from Montana’s largest wind farm, Clearwater Wind, based in Rosebud, Custer and Garfield Counties. 

In 2017, PSE contributed $10 million to the Colstrip Impacts Foundation to support the community’s transition planning efforts.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to invest in, and be a part of, the Colstrip community, and appreciate the decades of dedication by the facility’s workforce,” said Roberts.