By Eric Dietrich and Amanda Eggert, Montana Free Press
NorthWestern Energy said Monday it will acquire Washington-based utility Avista’s ownership stake in the aging Colstrip coal power plant, a move the company said would keep the plant in operation through the end of the decade.
NorthWestern, Montana’s dominant power utility, has been trying for several years to expand its stake in Colstrip, which is owned in part by Washington- and Oregon-based companies that have been planning a 2025 exit in the face of their states’ climate action targets.
