Nameplate capacity
55 MW
Rank in Montana
#33
of 73 plants
In service since
2015
August 2015
Details
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Operator
- NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro)
- County
- Cascade County
- Generating units
- 6
- Share of state capacity
- 0.72%
- Rank among hydro plants in Montana
- #12 of 23
- EIA plant code
- 2194
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RYA1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 9.2 MW | 12 MW | 2015 | Operating |
| RYA2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 9.2 MW | 12 MW | 2015 | Operating |
| RYA3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 9.2 MW | 12 MW | 2015 | Operating |
| RYA4 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 9.2 MW | 12 MW | 2015 | Operating |
| RYA5 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 9.2 MW | 12 MW | 2016 | Operating |
| RYA6 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 9.2 MW | 12 MW | 2016 | 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
| Rainbow (MT) | Hydro | 59 MW |
| Canyon Ferry | Hydro | 58 MW |
| Basin Creek Plant | Natural gas | 55 MW |
| Holter | Hydro | 55 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 55 MW solar plant and a 55 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