NEWS: It’s not just the NextEra-Dominion deal sparking controversy. Out West, a $15B utility merger is catching heat, too.

The deal: The Montana PSC has greenlit a proposed merger between Black Hills Corporation and NorthWestern Energy, marking the deal’s final state sign-off. The combined org would serve over 2M electric and natural gas customers across eight states, and they’re planning over $7B in capital investments through 2029.

The backlash: As with the NextEra-Dominion merger, customers have raised concerns that the deal could drive up their bills and muddy utility oversight as the region’s data center buildout accelerates. Black Hills has over 3 GW in its data center pipeline, while NorthWestern said it has signed agreements with several large-load customers.

The response: The two companies told the Montana PSC that rates won’t rise “as a direct result” of the merger, and that NorthWestern’s operations will remain in the hands of local management. The orgs said the merger would position them to better “capture data center opportunities,” but NorthWestern Energy plans to prevent cost-shifting through a large-load tariff (which is now under review by the Montana PSC).