Dive Brief:

• Puget Sound Energy's 677-MW stake in the coal-fired Colstrip power plant has been at the center of the discussions surrounding the utility's long-range resource plan under review at the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.
• The debate is going on after Northwestern Energy decided not to buy PPL Montana's majority share of the 2,100-MW Colstrip plant because meeting future environmental requirements at the plant was deemed too risky.
• Puget Sound Energy contends that continuing to own part of Colstrip saves ratepayers $131 million a year.

Dive Insight:

Environmentalists and others have been pressing the utilities that share ownership of the Colstrip plant to shut it down. The utility resource planning process is one of the avenues for these groups to make their cases.

Northwestern's decision to buy PPL's hydro assets in Montana for $900 million instead of PPL's Colstrip stake for $400 million says all you need to know about how Northwestern views Colstrip.