County hears update on large energy project proposal that could boost tax base

A meeting participant updated the Board about discussions with a company the speaker called 'Nexteria' and described a multi-phase energy project being moved into Rosebud County after another county landowner backed out. The speaker said the effort had earlier been discussed as a roughly $600 million proposal and now represents a larger, multi-phase program the speaker quantified at about $1.822 billion over four phases. "So that's gonna be a 1,822,000,000 project over 4 phases," the participant said.

The speaker said the project mixes wind, solar and battery storage so output is steadier across the day, and that landowners in the area are already engaged. The speaker also said a $1.2 billion substation is planned for the county as part of another related eastward project and that Northwest Energy has purchased land north of Colstrip for undisclosed uses. The speaker described the potential tax effects, saying the county's taxable base or "mill rate" figures the speaker gave (described as "55,000" rising to "99,000") would change after the development, and the county was considering an abatement agreement to support the investment.

Board members and staff discussed abatement as a policy tool and agreed the project could be a large economic boost if it proceeds. The speaker framed the development as potentially creating construction and long-term jobs and substantially increasing tax revenues, but provided the numbers as the participant's account; no formal agreement or county vote was reported during the meeting.

The Board did not take action at the meeting; staff said negotiations and a draft agreement were expected in the coming weeks and the speaker said the company aims to begin work next spring with target operations years later.