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NorthWestern Energy’s Montana Street substation upgrade will enhance service reliability and improve aesthetics to main gateway to uptown Butte
Date: Mar 18, 2021
TYPE: News
Butte, Mont. – March 18, 2021– NorthWestern Energy is upgrading the Montana Street substation located on the southeast corner of the intersection of Montana and George streets, north of Interstate 90. The upgrade will enhance reliability for NorthWestern Energy’s 6,000 electric customers served by the substation, and the upgrades are planned to be complete by the end of this October.
In the coming weeks, new transmission poles will be placed at the substation. This work will require traffic control on Montana Street, and the northbound lane will be reduced to single lane traffic from the Interstate 90 exit to George Street
As the project progresses, a chain link fence around the substation will be replaced with a stamped brick design concrete wall. The wall replicates the brick on the exterior of the NorthWestern Energy General Office at 11 East Park Street.
“We were approached by several community members about the possibility of changing the chain link fence to a decorative wall as part of the upgrade,” said NorthWestern Energy Project Manager Hannah Haffemann. “Over the course of several meetings, we discussed our substation’s relationship to one of the main gateways to uptown Butte, and the Chamber of Commerce’s Visitor Center. We listened to our community partners, which led to a design that will be functional and aesthetically pleasing.”
"The timing of our substation upgrades fits in perfectly with the upcoming reclamation and restoration work that is planned for the Blacktail Creek area,” said NorthWestern Energy Community Relations Manager Paul Babb. “The community will be increasingly enjoying the recreational opportunities in this area, and we anticipate that our employees working in NorthWestern Energy’s Customer Service/Operations Center, west of the substation, will utilize the Blacktail Creek area on their lunch breaks and after work. The upgrade to the substation perimeter will be a positive addition to such an important area of town.”
NorthWestern Energy appreciates the community’s patience during the substation upgrade.
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About NorthWestern Energy (Nasdaq: NWE)
NorthWestern Corporation, doing business as NorthWestern Energy, provides electricity and / or natural gas to approximately 734,800 customers in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. We have generated and distributed electricity in South Dakota and distributed natural gas in South Dakota and Nebraska since 1923 and have generated and distributed electricity and distributed natural gas in Montana since 2002. More information on NorthWestern Energy is available on the company's Web site at www.northwesternenergy.com.