NorthWestern Energy to File Major Facility Siting Document for Mountain States Transmission Intertie

The Montana DEQ has 30-days to complete the review of the MFSA application, and notify NorthWestern Energy of any additional information or requirements. Once the MFSA process is completed, NorthWestern Energy will proceed with an environmental review, including an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), under the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and other various approvals and permits. This process is expected to begin in late August with additional public scoping meetings scheduled in September.

"The filing of this application takes us one step closer toward the realization of the Mountain States Transmission Intertie project, which is designed to facilitate generation development inMontana," said Dave Gates, Vice President Wholesale Operations. "Not only does this project represent a significant growth opportunity for NorthWestern, but it will provide new, which are primarily renewable, generation projects inMontana with the additional path they need to reach potential markets in the West."

According to Rick Walsh, NorthWestern Energy's Manager of Environmental Siting and Permitting, said NorthWestern Energy is also working with the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and other state and federal agencies inMontana andIdaho to conduct the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this project. Additional public input is encouraged in the EIS project. Construction will not begin until the environmental review process is completed -- a process which is expected to take approximately two years.

NorthWestern Energy proposes to construct, operate and maintain the approximately 400-mile 500 kilovolt (kV) transmission line to address the requests for transmission service from customers and to relieve constraints on the high-voltage transmission system in the region. The new transmission line is planned to run from a new substation nearTownsend, Montana to a substation near Midpoint,Idaho. A map showing the preferred and alternative routes, along with additional information about the project, is available on our website at http://www.msti500kv.com.

About NorthWestern Energy

NorthWestern Energy is one of the largest providers of electricity and natural gas in the Upper Midwest and Northwest, serving approximately 650,000 customers inMontana,South Dakota andNebraska. For more information about NorthWestern Energy, visit our Web site at http://www.northwesternenergy.com.

SOURCE NorthWestern Corporation

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Tags: Oil, Gas and Energy, Utilities, Banking and Finance, , montana

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