(HELENA, MT) – Governor Steve
Bullock and the Bonneville Power Administration today released the Montana
Renewables Development Action Plan, which identifies specific actions intended
to promote the further development of renewable energy projects in Montana and
improve the ability of West Coast markets to access that energy.
“We brought together
stakeholders from diverse interests to seek common understanding on very
complex issues – and to find solutions that work,” said Governor Bullock. “With
this effort, we’re boosting the opportunities for more energy development in
Montana and making Montana wind more attractive for West Coast buyers, all to
create good-paying jobs and economic opportunity for Montanans.”
The report supports the
conclusion that Montana has an opportunity to play a significant role in energy
markets by growing its renewable resource base. The state currently has more
than 700 megawatts of installed wind capacity, with the potential to develop
significantly more wind resources. Even more encouraging is the report’s
finding that there is existing capacity to transmit that power to the
Northwest.
“It was a pleasure to work
with Governor Bullock and many other partners from across the region during
this process,” said Elliot Mainzer, BPA Administrator. “Through collaboration,
hard work and a little bit of active listening, we identified existing
short-term opportunities and some longer-term priorities that should enable the
additional development of renewable energy in Montana to complement existing
hydropower and other renewable generation across the Pacific Northwest. I am
excited and committed to working with the other participants in this process to
deliver on the plan's recommendations.”
Efforts to compile the report
began several months ago when Mainzer and Bullock invited a diverse group of
stakeholders to take a collaborative look at renewable energy challenges and
opportunities in Montana. The group, which included public and private
utilities, regulators, advocates, and renewable resource developers, focused
their efforts on producing a sustainable long-term strategy to develop new
renewable energy resources in Montana. The work addressed issues including
commercial needs, policies, planning and operational issues. This inclusive
approach to collaboration and problem-solving allowed the group to identify
solutions that satisfy the region’s needs.
“We’ve always known that
Montana had the most energetic wind resource in the region. This collaborative
process reveals that existing transmission — with modest investments — can
deliver considerable amounts of renewable energy to West Coast utilities,” said
Rachel Shimshak, executive director of Renewable Northwest and a member of the
Task Force Steering Committee. “This is great news for customers, the
environment, and Montana’s rural economic vitality. Washington and Oregon
utilities should be confident that they can cost-effectively deliver Montana
wind to their customers."
The Action Plan identifies 18
actions that, if taken, would remove barriers to the development and export of
Montana renewable resources. Highlighted actions include:
- Broad recognition and agreement that the Colstrip transmission network is not only important to local Northwestern Energy needs, but vital to future renewable energy development in Eastern Montana. The Colstrip owners and BPA have committed to reviewing the agreements that govern the delivery of Colstrip power and to look at modernizing them to address today’s energy challenges and opportunities.
- There is a considerable amount of transmission capacity available now to move renewable energy out of Montana, and over time and with a few relatively cost-effective actions, that available capacity is expected to grow significantly as Colstrip units 1 and 2 retire.
- Many believed that technical limitations of the transmission system would significantly limit the opportunity for Montana renewables to move to west coast markets. The report and underlying analyses shows that these concerns are not significant barriers.
BPA has committed to track
progress on the action items and file progress reports with committee members
and interested parties.
The Action Plan marks another
step in Governor Bullock’s Energy Blueprint to determine the state’s energy
future through a balanced and responsible plan with all sectors of the energy
industry. Through the blueprint, Governor Bullock has committed to working with
the Colstrip community to ensure they remain a viable part of the energy
future, in addition to developing potential for wind and solar power and
harnessing new technology for carbon capture. Since the release of the
blueprint in 2016, Montana has quadrupled its solar production.
The Montana Renewables
Development Action Plan can be found here: www.bpa.gov/goto/MontanaRenewablesDevelopmentActionPlan
