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19 December 2007 -- NorthWestern Energy said it plans to double its wind power capacity over the next seven years but expects no new coal plant construction due to uncertainty over global warming.

"Until there is more certainty overall regarding greenhouse gases, carbon taxes -- those kind of issues -- we're just not going to be investing in baseload facilities" such as new coal plants, said spokeswoman Claudia Rapkoch.

The South Dakota-based utility, a unit of NorthWestern Corp., needs to build at least 150 MW of wind projects to comply with a 2005 Montana law requiring utilities to get at least 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2015.

But more wind power will only partially meet rising demand for electricity across the region. The biennial resource plan released by NorthWestern on Monday shows its power generation capacity will be in a deficit by 2014.

With coal out of the picture, company officials envision buying more of the utility's power on the open market to fill the gap.

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