NEW
- The Energy and Telecommunications Interim Committee (ETIC) recently released an updated Citizen's Guide to Montana Energy Law.
- Montana DNRC Announces Biomass Grant Opportunities
- The Governor's Energy Internship program has been extended through the summer of 2012. Interested businesses and students can still apply at the Energy Intern website.
Montana Means Energy
Montana's world class energy resources-wind, oil and gas, biofuels, biomass, coal and more--are second to none in the United States and provide us with the opportunity to help the nation wean itself from foreign oil while creating economic growth opportunities here in Montana. We can provide a good share of the energy resources America needs in a manner that respects and protects the wild places that make Montana so special.
Montana Energy Quick Facts
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#1 in U.S. coal deposits
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#1 in wind potential class 3 and above
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Over 50 wind farms in various levels of development
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More than 15 locations for potential commercial geothermal energy
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40% increase in oil production between 2005 and 2008
Recent Energy Projects:
Dave Gates Generating Station at Mill Creek, 151 MW
The Dave Gates Generating Station at Mill Creek is a 151 MW natural gas and flywheel facility owned by NorthWestern Energy. The $200 million plant located west of Anaconda went online January 1, 2011. The plant provides "regulation service" --as opposed to baseline or peaking power--and provides NorthWestern with the ability to balence loads in response to changing electricity supply and demand. The majority of the power is supplied through gas turbine generators but the facility also employees an innovative flywheel technology that allows kinetic energy to be stored in the form of a rapidly spinning rotor.
Turnbull Hydro Generation Project, 13 MW
In July of 2010, Turnbull Hydro LLC broke ground on their $11 million hydro electric power plant west of Fairfield in the Greenfields Irrigation District. The plant has the capacity to generate up to 13 MW of electricity from irrigation canals in the Greenfield Irrigation District without affecting farmers’ ability to access the water. The project went online in the summer of 2011.
