BUTTE, Mont., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NorthWestern Corporation d/b/a NorthWestern Energy announced today that the Montana Public Service Commission has made formal its approval of placing the company's ownership interest in Colstrip Unit 4 into the ratebase.

By Dennison, Mike HELENA - If regulators think NorthWestern Energy's Montana customers should buy a long-term chunk of electricity from the Colstrip 4 power plant, it should be at a much lower price than that offered by the company, a consumer witness testified Friday.

By Dennison, Mike HELENA - As a high-stakes hearing opened Wednesday on how NorthWestern Energy's Montana customers might buy a share of Colstrip-generated power, regulators heard starkly different takes on the multimillion-dollar deal.

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas) -- Unit 2 at the Colstrip Power Station in Colstrip, Montana, tripped offline Tuesday.

By Dennison, Mike HELENA - NorthWestern Energy on Monday spelled out its conditions for dedicating its share of Colstrip 4 power to Montana customers - and said it would sell the power to investors if the conditions aren't met.