List of power stations in Montana

This is a list of electricity-generating power stations in the U.S. state of Montana, sorted by type and name. In 2019, Montana had a total summer capacity of 6,373 MW through all of its power plants, and a net generation of 27,797 GWh.[2] The corresponding electrical energy generation mix was 50.7% coal, 36.0% hydroelectric, 8.5% wind, 1.9% natural gas, 1.7% petroleum, and 1.0% recovered industrial waste heat. Utility-scale biomass and solar facilities each contributed 0.1%. Small-scale solar, including customer-owned photovoltaic panels, delivered an additional net 24 GWh to the state's electrical grid. This compares as nearly equal to the generation by Montana's utility-scale solar PV plants.[1]

Sources of Montana electricity generation: full-year 2019 [1]

  Coal (50.7%)

  Natural Gas (1.9%)

  Hydroelectric (36.0%)

  Wind (8.5%)

  Biomass (0.1%)

  Solar (0.1%)

  Petroleum (1.7%)

  Waste Heat (1.0%)

During 2019, Montana exported about one-half of the electricity generated by its power plants to other states. Montana has the largest recoverable deposits of coal in the nation, accounting for 30% of U.S. reserves. In recent years three-quarters of the coal mined in Montana has been exported, with over one-third going to Asia via western Canada.[3]

Nuclear power stations

Montana had no utility-scale plants that used fissile material as a fuel in 2019.[1]

Fossil-fuel power stations

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration serves as a general reference.[4]

Coal

A useful map[5] of coal generation plants is provided by the Sierra Club.

Name	Location	Coordinates	Capacity (MW)	Ref	Year Opened	Scheduled Retirement
Colstrip Steam Electric Station	Rosebud County	45.8831°N 106.614°W	340 - Unit 1 340 - Unit 2 740 - Unit 3 740 - Unit 4	[6][7][8]	1975 - Unit 1 1976 - Unit 2 1984 - Unit 3 1986 - Unit 4	CLOSED Jan 2020 - Unit 1 CLOSED Jan 2020 - Unit 2 2027 - Unit 3 2027 - Unit 4
Colstrip Energy LP Plant	Rosebud County	45.9752°N 106.6547°W	38	[9][10]	1990
Hardin Generator Project	Big Horn County	45.7578°N 107.6000°W	107	[11]	2006
Lewis & Clark Station	Richland County	47.6785°N 104.1566°W	53	[12][13][14]	1958	Mar 2021
Sidney Sugars Plant	Richland County	47.7172°N 104.1356°W	4.0	[15]	1950

Natural Gas and Petroleum

Name	Location	Coordinates	Capacity (MW)	Fuel Type	Generation Type	Number of Units	Refs	Year Opened	Note
Basin Creek Generation Plant	Silver Bow County	45.9293°N 112.5194°W	54	gas	Reciprocating Engine (x9)	9	[16][17]	2006
Culbertson Generation Station	Roosevelt County	48.2100°N 104.3917°W	85	gas	Simple Cycle	1	[18]	2010
Dave Gates Generating Station	Deer Lodge County	46.1047°N 112.8766°W	150	gas	Simple Cycle (x3)	3	[19]	2011	formerly Mill Creek GS
Glendive Gas Turbine	Dawson County	47.0539°N 104.7400°W	75	gas	Simple Cycle (x2)	2	[20]	1979/2003
Miles City Gas Turbine	Custer County	46.4112°N 105.7953°W	24	gas	Simple Cycle	1	[21]	1972
OREG 1 & 2	Roosevelt County	48.2141°N 104.3975°W	40	waste heat	ORC Generator (x8)	8	[22]	2006/2009	from a gas compressor station
Phillips 66 Billings Refinery	Yellowstone County	45.7769°N 108.4911°W	1.5	petroleum gases	Steam Turbine	1		2007
Yellowstone Energy	Yellowstone County	45.8117°N 108.4278°W	52	petroleum	Steam Turbine	1	[23]	1995

Renewable power stations

Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration serves as a general reference.[4]

Biomass

Name	Location	Coordinates	Capacity (MW)	Refs	Fuel	Year Opened	Note
Stoltze CoGen1	Flathead County	48.3877°N 114.2409°W	3.0	[24]	wood/wood waste	2013

Hydroelectric

Montana hydroelectric general references: [25][26]

Name	Location	Coordinates	Capacity (MW)	Refs	Year Opened	Note
Black Eagle Hydro	Cascade County	47.5213°N 111.2614°W	21	[27]	1927
Broadwater Power Project	Broadwater County	46.1206°N 111.4076°W	9.7	[28]	1989
Canyon Ferry Powerplant	Lewis and Clark County	46.6490°N 111.7279°W	57.6	[29]	1953-1954
Cochrane Hydro	Cascade County	47.5375°N 111.1950°W	62	[27]	1958
Flint Creek Hydro	Granite County	46.2275°N 113.2947°W	2.0	[30]	2013
Fort Peck Hydropower Plant	McCone County	48.0122°N 106.4123°W	218	[31]	1943/1948/ 1951/1961
Hauser Hydro	Lewis and Clark County	46.7659°N 111.8873°W	18.2	[27]	1911
Holter Hydro	Cascade County	46.9915°N 112.0047°W	53.2	[27]	1918
Hungry Horse Powerplant	Flathead County	48.3415°N 114.0144°W	427	[32]	1952-1953
Libby Hydro Plant	Lincoln County	48.4098°N 115.3143°W	525	[33]	1975-1976/ 1984
Madison Hydro	Madison County	45.4879°N 111.6338°W	8.0	[27]	1906/1908
Morony Hydro	Cascade County	47.5817°N 111.0609°W	49	[27]	1930
Mystic Lake Hydro	Stillwater County	45.2257°N 109.7625°W	12	[27]	1925
Noxon Rapids Hydro	Sanders County	47.9605°N 115.7336°W	580	[34]	1959-1960/ 1977
Rainbow Hydro	Cascade County	47.5344°N 111.2045°W	64	[27]	2013
Ryan Hydro	Cascade County	47.5699°N 111.1225°W	69.5	[27]	1915-1916
Seli's Ksanka Qlispe' Hydro (formerly Kerr Dam Hydro)	Lake County	47.6777°N 114.2339°W	206	[27]	1938/1949/ 1954
South Dry Creek Hydro	Carbon County	45.2063°N 109.1652°W	2.0	[35]	1985
Thompson Falls Hydro	Sanders County	47.5932°N 115.3582°W	94	[27]	1915-1917
Tiber Dam Hydro	Liberty County	48.318°N 111.1018°W	7.5	[25]	2004
Turnbull Hydro	Teton County	47.6053°N 112.0969°W	13	[36]	2011
Yellowtail Powerplant	Big Horn County	45.3074°N 107.9575°W	278	[37]	1966

Wind

Name	Location	Coordinates	Capacity (MW)	Refs	Year Opened	Turbine Mfg Spec
Big Timber Wind Farm (Greycliff)	Sweet Grass County	45.8554°N 109.6492°W	25	[38]	2018	GE 1.8MW
Diamond Willow Wind Facility	Fallon County	46.2753°N 104.1836°W	30	[38]	2008	GE 1.5MW
Fairfield Wind	Teton County	47.7233°N 111.9653°W	10	[38]	2014	GE 1.6/1.7MW
Glacier Wind Farm I&II	Glacier County Toole County	48.5333°N 112.1847°W	210	[39]	2008	Acciona 1.5MW
Gordon Butte Wind	Meagher County	46.4119°N 110.3378°W	9.6	[38]	2012	GE 1.6MW
Greenfield Wind	Teton County	47.7230°N 111.9630°W	25	[38]	2016	GE 2.3MW
Horseshoe Bend Wind Park	Cascade County	47.4983°N 111.4392°W	9.0	[38]	2006	GE 1.5MW
Judith Gap Wind Energy Center	Wheatland County	46.5725°N 109.7531°W	135	[40]	2006	GE 1.5MW
Musselshell Wind Project I&II	Wheatland County	46.2753°N 109.4827°W	20	[38]	2013	GE 1.5MW
Pryor Mountain Wind Project (formerly Mud Springs Wind)	Carbon County		240	[41][42]	2020-2021	Vestas 2.0/2.2MW GE 2.3MW[43]
Rim Rock Wind Farm	Glacier County Toole County	48.8202°N 112.1033°W	189	[44][45]	2012	Acciona 1.5MW
Stillwater Wind	Stillwater County	45.8658°N 109.4766°W	80	[46]	2018	Siemens-Gamesa 2.3/2.6MW
Spion Kop Wind Farm	Judith Basin County	47.3333°N 110.6392°W	40	[38][47]	2013	GE 1.6MW
South Peak Wind	Judith Basin County	47.3299°N 110.6146°W	80	[48]	2020	GE 2.3/2.5MW
Two Dot Wind Farm	Wheatland County	46.4494°N 110.0872°W	9.7	[38][47]	2014	GE 1.6MW

Solar

Project Name	Location	Coordinates	Capacity (MWAC)	Refs.	Year Opened	Note
Black Eagle Solar	Cascade County	47.5475°N 111.2540°W	3.0	[49]	2017
Great Divide Solar	Lewis and Clark County	46.8057°N 112.2490°W	3.0	[50]	2017
Green Meadow Solar	Lewis and Clark County	46.6945°N 112.0636°W	3.0	[51]	2017
Magpie Solar	Golden Valley County	46.2914°N 108.9379°W	3.0	[52]	2017
River Bend Solar	Stillwater County	45.7038°N 109.5652°W	2.0	[53]	2017
South Mills Solar	Big Horn County	45.7301°N 107.6326°W	3.0	[54]	2017

References

1. "Electricity Data Browser, Net generation for all sectors, Montana, Fuel Type-Check all, Annual, 2001–19". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
2. "Montana Electricity Profile". U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
3. "Montana Electricity Profile Analysis". U.S. EIA. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
4. Energy Information Administration (15 September 2020). "Form EIA-860 detailed data with previous form data (EIA-860A/860B)". eia.gov. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020.
5. Sierra Club-Beyond Coal
6. "Colstrip Steam Electric Station - Colstrip, Montana". Talen Energy. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
7. "Colstrip Steam Electric Station Units 1 and 2 to Retire". prnewswire.com. 2019-06-11.
8. "Colstrip Steam Plant - Global Energy Monitor". Global Energy Monitor. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
9. "Colstrip Energy LP Plant". Global Energy Observatory. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
10. "Colstrip Energy LP, monthly electricity data". U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
11. Tom Lutey (2019-03-01). "Hardin coal-fired power plant sells to possible cryptocurrency company". Billings Gazette.
12. "Lewis & Clark Station". Montana-Dakota Utilities. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
13. Tom Lutey (2019-02-19). "MDU to shutter Eastern Montana coal power plant in 2020". Billings Gazette.
14. [email protected], Renée Jean. "Lewis and Clark Station could find new life in a world class way". Sidney Herald. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
15. "Sidney Sugars - Facility Information". American Crystal Sugar Company. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
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17. Tim Trainor (2010-02-27). "The little power plant that could". Montana Standard.
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29. "Canyon Ferry Dam". U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
30. George Plaven (2011-09-05). "Turning on the juice: Flint Creek dam to resume producing hydroelectric power in Granite County". The Montana Standard.
31. "USACE Hydropower at Fort Peck". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
32. "Hungry Horse Powerplant". U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
33. "Libby Dam and Lake Koocanusa". U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
34. "Clark River Project - Noxon Rapids". Avista Corp. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
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36. "Project aims to turn irrigation ditch into power". Northwest Renewable News. 2009-11-09. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
37. "Yellowtail Dam". U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
38. "MSU Wind Applications Center - Active Wind Project". Montana State University. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
39. LeAnne Kavanagh (October 28, 2009). "Glacier Wind Farm is state's biggest wind energy project". Shelby Promoter.
40. "Glendive gas turbine". Montana-Dakota Utilities. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
41. Tom Lutey (2020-08-07). "Bridger wind farm could be finished by end of year". Billings Gazette.
42. Tom Lutey (2020-01-12). "Wind farm projects lining up to call hills around south-central montana town home". Billings Gazette.
43. "Pryor Mountain Wind Project" (PDF). Rocky Mountain Power. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
44. Paula Moore (17 June 2013). "Rim Rock Wind Farm Is Largest-Capacity Wind Site in Montana". ENR Mountain States. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
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49. Jo Dee Black (2017-06-01). "Construction on Black Eagle Solar well underway". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
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