Operator: 2 Units of Montana Coal Plant to Close This Year

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — The company that operates a coal-fired power plant in eastern Montana says it will close two of the four units this year.

Talen Montana said in a statement Tuesday the older units of the Colstrip Steam Electric Station, with a combined 614-megawatt capacity, will be permanently retired on Dec. 31.

The newer Colstrip units 3 and 4 will continue operating.

The two older units had been slated for closure by mid-2022 as part of a settlement in an environmental lawsuit.

Talen Montana President Dale Lebsack says the decision to retire the units early came after an extensive review and exhaustive efforts to make the units economically viable.

Lebsack says the owner of the Rosebud Mine that provides Colstrip with its coal would not lower its prices.