Clearwater was mentioned again last week after Gov. Steve Bullock announced that he would form a working group to try to keep Colstrip’s most vulnerable coal turbines from being shut down if utilities, under pressure to leave Colstrip, actually exited.

Ann Hedges of the Montana Environmental Information Center said it would be better to find a green-energy future for Colstrip instead of trying to squeeze a few more years out of the existing coal power plants. Hedges specifically cited the Clearwater project as an example of renewable energy possibilities in the Colstrip region.

Make no mistake about it, Cressner said, Clearwater is located where it is because of the transmission infrastructure serving Colstrip. Colstrip Power Plant is served by 500-kilovolt power lines and a substation big enough to accommodate Colstrip power and the 300 megawatts Clearwater would put on the energy grid.

The Bonneville Power Administration, in partnership with NorthWestern Energy and other stakeholders in the transmission line serving Colstrip, have also discussed upgrading the transmission system by up to 700 megawatts. The Clearwater project is being planned to fill that extra capacity if it materializes.

The first phase of the project will cost about $500 million, Cressner said.