Nameplate capacity
27 MW
Rank in Montana
#41
of 73 plants
In service since
1927
September 1927
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro)
- County
- Cascade County
- Generating units
- 3
- Share of state capacity
- 0.35%
- Rank among hydro plants in Montana
- #14 of 23
- EIA plant code
- 2181
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLA1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 9.0 MW | 9.0 MW | 1927 | Operating |
| BLA3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 9.0 MW | 9.0 MW | 1927 | Operating |
| BLA2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 8.7 MW | 8.7 MW | 1927 | Operating |
Nameplate is the maximum rated output; summer capacity is what the unit can reliably deliver on a hot day, which is typically lower.
Similarly sized plants in Montana
| OREG 1 Inc | Other | 30 MW |
| OREG 2 Inc | Other | 30 MW |
| Big Timber Wind Farm | Wind | 25 MW |
| Greenfield Wind - MT | Wind | 25 MW |
About this data
From EIA’s inventory of operable generators, May 2026 release. Capacity is nameplate — the maximum rated output of the equipment, not what the plant actually generates over a year, which depends on how often it runs. A 27 MW solar plant and a 27 MW nuclear plant have the same entry here and produce very different amounts of electricity.
“In service since” is the earliest in-service date among the units still listed, so a site rebuilt around newer equipment can read as younger than the site itself. All Montana power plants · What Montana actually generates