The Rosebud Mine on Thursday announced it’s renewed a contract to supply Colstrip power plant Units 3 and 4 with coal until 2025.
Westmoreland Mining LLC, which owns Rosebud mine, filed for bankruptcy last year and is now under new ownership. It’s the only mine that feeds coal to the Colstrip power plant.
According to the company’s general counsel, Jeremy Cottrell, five owners of Units 3 and 4 have signed the six-year coal contract. He says it does not affect the closure of Units 1 and 2.
Plant operator Talen Energy, which has not signed the contract, plans to start closing Units 1 and 2 early next year.
Last month, partial owner of Units 3 and 4, Avista Corp., announced it would pull financial backing by 2025 instead of 2027, which itself was seven to nine years ahead of previous estimates.
