PSE IN MONTANA:
HISTORY

Puget Sound Energy has been a partner in Montana's energy economy dating back to the 1970s and construction of the Colstrip Power Plant. Over the years, PSE’s support of Montana’s energy economy has been robust. PSE has purchased millions of tons of Montana coal, which has resulted in hundreds of millions in contributions to the Montana Coal Trust Fund for the benefit of all Montanans. PSE has also contributed over $357 million in property taxes and more than $35 million in taxes related to wholesale energy transactions and electrical energy to the state of Montana in the last 30+ years alone.

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Today, the Colstrip Power Plant consists of two active coal-fired generating units (3 & 4) capable of producing 1,480 megawatts (MW) of electricity. The plant is jointly owned by Puget Sound Energy, Avista Corporation, PacifiCorp, Portland General Electric Company, NorthWestern Energy, and Talen.. 

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PSE owns 25% percent each of Colstrip Units 3 & 4. PSE also co-owns Colstrip Units 1 & 2 with Talen. These units were retired by Talen in January 2020 due to economic challenges.

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PSE is proud of its leadership on complex Colstrip issues including being the first owner to provide community transition and opportunity funding to the tune of $10 million dollars and the first owner to develop a mechanism to set aside existing federal tax benefits and grants to fund prudently incurred decommissioning and remediation costs. Looking forward, PSE expects to invest significant funds for its portion of Colstrip remediation and decommissioning work.