NorthWestern Energy’s 2026 Integrated Resource Plan, or IRP, is a long-range blueprint for how the utility plans to keep electricity reliable and affordable for Montana customers over the next 20 years. It’s not a construction plan, it’s not a final decision document. It’s a detailed planning study designed to answer one core question: how do you keep the lights on—especially during the coldest winter days—at the lowest reasonable cost while managing risk? Click on the podcast to get to the heart of that critical economic question and the broader questions you may have about Montana’s energy future. We’re joined by NorthWestern Energy’s Bleau LaFave, Vice President of Asset Management & Business Development, and Jon Shafer, Manager of Energy Supply Planning.