Independent site. Not affiliated with the Montana Public Service Commission. Who runs this site
What it costs Montana families
3 steps: what you pay now, what the merger promises, and the open question.
1. What you pay now: base rates went up about 17%
| Period | Residential base rate (index, not dollars) |
|---|---|
| Before Feb 1, 2026 | 100 |
| From Feb 1, 2026 | about 117 |
This came from the last rate case, not the merger.
Reported: Missoula Current
2. What the merger promises: no rate rise “as a direct result”
- The companies say rates “will not increase as a direct result of the merger.” (DFO ¶29)
- A $10M residential bill credit. The Consumer Counsel’s witness calls it “a type of advance on the estimated merger savings.” (DFO ¶52-53, ¶73)
- Transition costs can go into rates later if merger savings are larger. (DFO ¶30, ¶104)
Record: Draft Final Order 8043
3. The open question: who pays for data center growth?
| Measure | Size | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average NorthWestern load today | about 750 aMW | MEIC |
| Data center agreements, late 2027 | 150 MW | NorthWestern |
| Data center agreements, by 2030 | about 1,500 MW | NorthWestern |
- These are development agreements. No data center has signed a service agreement yet. (NWE 10-Q; DFO n.322)
- The PSC kept data center costs out of the merger case. (DFO ¶111, ¶136-140)
- 350 Montana and Montana Farmers Union argue that homes and small businesses will carry the grid costs. (Their argument)
NorthWestern 10-Q; MEIC. For scale only: MEIC gives average MW over a year.
No source gives a dollar cost per household for the merger. This site does not estimate one.
Questions for the commission
Questions a reporter or a customer can put to each commissioner and to PSC staff before Nov 10.
- What did the Colstrip investigation (Docket 2025.12.089) find, and why vote on the merger before it ends?
- Commissioner Bushman: did you review the full hearing transcript, including the closed sessions, before you vote?
- Has any commissioner talked with the companies, a settling party or the Governor’s office about the merits since the hearing closed?
- Why did the commission deny data center discovery on Mar 31?
- Where will data center costs be decided, and will that happen before or after the merger closes?
- What did the 6 protective orders keep from the public, and does any of it bear on harm to customers?
- Did each commissioner read the 79-page draft order and the 4 settlement exhibits between Oct 23 and Oct 27?
DFO = Draft Final Order 8043, PSC Docket 2025.10.078, filed Oct 23, 2026.
