Hydroelectric Power Plants in Montana
Every operating hydroelectric power plant in Montana on EIA-860M for 2026-07: 23 plants, 74 generating units and 3 GW of nameplate capacity across 15 counties.
As of 2026-07 (inventory dated 2026-07-31) · EIA-860M Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory · eia.gov/…/july_generator2026.xlsx · eia.gov/…/eia860m
- Plants
- 23
- 74 generating units
- Nameplate capacity
- 3 GW
- Counties
- 15
- Grid operator
- Mixed
- no single ISO covers a majority
Map of hydroelectric power plants in Montana
Every one of the 23 plants is drawn at the coordinate EIA files for it.
Loading map…
- Hydro · 23
List of hydroelectric power plants in Montana
Sort by any column. Capacity is nameplate, summed across every generating unit EIA lists at the site.
| LibbyConventional Hydroelectric | USACE Northwestern Division | Lincoln | 525 | 5 | 1975 | Operating |
| Noxon RapidsConventional Hydroelectric | Avista Corp | Sanders | 487.8 | 5 | 1959 | Operating |
| Hungry HorseConventional Hydroelectric | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Flathead | 428 | 4 | 1952 | Operating |
| YellowtailConventional Hydroelectric | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Big Horn | 278.2 | 4 | 1966 | Operating |
| Selis Ksanka QlispeConventional Hydroelectric | Energy Keepers Inc | Lake | 227.8 | 3 | 1938 | Operating |
| Fort PeckConventional Hydroelectric | USACE-Omaha | McCone | 179.7 | 5 | 1943 | Operating |
| Thompson FallsConventional Hydroelectric | NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) | Sanders | 98.1 | 7 | 1915 | Operating |
| MoronyConventional Hydroelectric | NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) | Cascade | 63 | 2 | 1930 | Operating |
| CochraneConventional Hydroelectric | NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) | Cascade | 59.4 | 2 | 1958 | Operating |
| Rainbow (MT)Conventional Hydroelectric | NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) | Cascade | 59 | 1 | 2013 | Operating |
| Canyon FerryConventional Hydroelectric | U S Bureau of Reclamation | Lewis and Clark | 57.6 | 3 | 1953 | Operating |
| RyanConventional Hydroelectric | NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) | Cascade | 55.2 | 6 | 1915 | Operating |
| HolterConventional Hydroelectric | NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) | Cascade | 54.6 | 4 | 1918 | Operating |
| Black EagleConventional Hydroelectric | NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) | Cascade | 26.7 | 3 | 1927 | Operating |
| HauserConventional Hydroelectric | NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) | Lewis and Clark | 16.8 | 5 | 1911 | Operating |
| Madison DamConventional Hydroelectric | NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) | Madison | 16.4 | 4 | 2021 | Operating |
| Turnbull HydroConventional Hydroelectric | Turnbull Hydro LLC | Teton | 13 | 2 | 2011 | Operating |
| MysticConventional Hydroelectric | NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) | Stillwater | 12 | 2 | 1925 | Operating |
| Broadwater Power ProjectConventional Hydroelectric | Montana Dept-Natural Res&Consv | Broadwater | 9.7 | 1 | 1989 | Operating |
| Tiber Dam Hydroelectric PlantConventional Hydroelectric | Tiber Montana LLC | Liberty | 7.5 | 1 | 2004 | Operating |
| Big ForkConventional Hydroelectric | PacifiCorp | Flathead | 4.1 | 3 | 1910 | Operating |
| South Dry Creek HydroConventional Hydroelectric | Hydrodynamics Inc | Carbon | 2 | 1 | 1985 | Operating |
| Flint Creek Hydroelectric LLCConventional Hydroelectric | Hydrodynamics Inc | Granite | 2 | 1 | 2013 | Operating |
Largest hydroelectric power plants in Montana
- 1LibbyLincoln County, Montana525 MW
- 2Noxon RapidsSanders County, Montana487.8 MW
- 3Hungry HorseFlathead County, Montana428 MW
- 4YellowtailBig Horn County, Montana278.2 MW
- 5Selis Ksanka QlispeLake County, Montana227.8 MW
- 6Fort PeckMcCone County, Montana179.7 MW
- 7Thompson FallsSanders County, Montana98.1 MW
- 8MoronyCascade County, Montana63 MW
- 9CochraneCascade County, Montana59.4 MW
- 10Rainbow (MT)Cascade County, Montana59 MW
Hydroelectric power plants by county in Montana
The county EIA files against each plant. It is the fastest way to find the plant nearest a given town.
| County | Plants | Nameplate MW |
|---|---|---|
| Sanders | 2 | 585.9 |
| Lincoln | 1 | 525 |
| Flathead | 2 | 432.1 |
| Cascade | 6 | 317.9 |
| Big Horn | 1 | 278.2 |
| Lake | 1 | 227.8 |
| McCone | 1 | 179.7 |
| Lewis and Clark | 2 | 74.4 |
| Madison | 1 | 16.4 |
| Teton | 1 | 13 |
| Stillwater | 1 | 12 |
| Broadwater | 1 | 9.7 |
| Liberty | 1 | 7.5 |
| Carbon | 1 | 2 |
| Granite | 1 | 2 |
Hydroelectric Power Plants in Montana: FAQ
- How many hydroelectric power plants are in Montana?
- 23, with 3 GW of nameplate capacity between them, spread over 15 counties. That is the EIA-860M operating count for 2026-07.
- Is there a map of Montana hydroelectric power plants?
- Yes — the map above. Each dot is one hydroelectric power plant, sized by nameplate capacity and placed at the coordinates EIA files for it.
- Which is the largest hydroelectric power plant in Montana?
- Libby, at 525 MW. The table is sorted largest first, so the rest follow it.
- Is there a hydroelectric power plant near me in Montana?
- The county roll-up below groups every plant by county, which is the quickest way to find the one closest to a given town.
- Which grid operator runs Montana's hydroelectric power plants?
- No single ISO or RTO covers most of them. EIA files each plant against its own balancing authority, which in Montana is largely a vertically integrated utility rather than an organised market.
- How current is this, and what is left out?
- EIA-860M for 2026-07. Conventional hydroelectric. Pumped storage is counted separately. Plants below 1 MW are not surveyed by EIA and so are absent; retirements and additions after 2026-07 arrive with the next monthly release.