Nameplate capacity
17 MW
Rank in Montana
#47
of 73 plants
In service since
2011
November 2011
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro)
- County
- Lewis and Clark County
- Generating units
- 5
- Share of state capacity
- 0.22%
- Rank among hydro plants in Montana
- #15 of 23
- EIA plant code
- 2185
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HAU10 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 3.5 MW | 3.5 MW | 2025 | Operating |
| HAU11 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 3.5 MW | 3.5 MW | 2021 | Operating |
| HAU7 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 3.5 MW | 3.5 MW | 2019 | Operating |
| HAU8 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 3.5 MW | 3.5 MW | 2022 | Operating |
| HAU3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 2.8 MW | 2.8 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
| Lewis & Clark | Natural gas | 19 MW |
| Gordon Butte Wind LLC | Wind | 18 MW |
| Madison Dam | Hydro | 16 MW |
| Turnbull Hydro | Hydro | 13 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 17 MW solar plant and a 17 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