Northwestern Energy could shut down electric lines in MT later this week.

As the Treasure State sizzles during the latest heat wave, Northwestern Energy is dropping hints that many Montanans may be without electricity on Thursday. NOTE: There are no planned outages at this time (5:30 pm, 7/23).

HOWEVER. The company closely monitors weather conditions, which are currently hot, dry, and windy across most of the state. According to NWE,

We have entered the 1.1 Monitoring Stage of our Public Safety Power Shutoff Plan. There are no planned power outages at this time. This is the earliest stage of the plan. If extreme weather conditions threaten our ability to safely operate the electrical grid, we will turn off power to help protect public safety.

A cold front is expected to push into Montana on Thursday, with strong winds, low humidity, and scattered thunderstorms possible. The conditions create an extreme fire danger and Northwestern Energy wants to prevent a powerline spark from starting a fire.

Credit Canva
Credit Canva
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Areas that could potentially lose power.

If NWE implements its Public Safety Power Shutoff Plan, it will most likely be in fire-prone areas around Butte, Helena, Great Falls, and Bozeman. The company notes that if/when the shutoff plan is activated, affected customers will receive multiple notifications via phone and/or email.

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