Dave Gates Generating Station
Natural gas power plant · Deer Lodge County, Montana
Nameplate capacity
203 MW
Rank in Montana
#12
of 73 plants
In service since
2011
January 2011
Details
- Primary fuel
- Natural gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Operator
- NorthWestern Energy (MT wind/thermal)
- County
- Deer Lodge County
- Generating units
- 3
- Share of state capacity
- 2.65%
- Rank among natural gas plants in Montana
- #2 of 9
- EIA plant code
- 56908
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 68 MW | 44 MW | 2011 | Operating |
| 2 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 68 MW | 44 MW | 2011 | Operating |
| 3 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | 68 MW | 44 MW | 2011 | 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
| Clearwater Wind East | Wind | 208 MW |
| Yellowstone County Generating Station | Natural gas | 207 MW |
| NaturEner Rim Rock Energy | Wind | 189 MW |
| Fort Peck | Hydro | 180 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 203 MW solar plant and a 203 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