Our Company

For more than 100 years, NorthWestern Energy has been committed to delivering safe, reliable and innovative energy solutions.

We serve gas and electric to customers in the western two-thirds of Montana and eastern South Dakota. We also have gas service in Nebraska, and serve electricity to Yellowstone National Park.

We own and operate a diverse generation fleet of wind, water, natural gas and coal-fired resources and the high-voltage electric transmission system and distribution system. We also own and operate natural gas production, transmission and distribution systems.

Enriching Lives Through a Safe, Sustainable Energy Future

A map showing NorthWestern Energy's service territory in Montana, Nebraska and South Dakota.

Enriching Lives Through a Safe, Sustainable Energy Future

NorthWestern Energy has provided reliable and affordable electricity and natural gas to customers in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska for more than 100 years.

Our Commitment to Sustainability

Sustainability means meeting today’s needs while planning for tomorrow’s as well. It is not just a matter of good environmental practices, being a sustainable enterprise must also incorporate social and governance best practices.

Our vision

Enriching lives through a safe sustainable energy future.

Our mission

Working together to provide safe, reliable and innovative energy solutions that create value for customers, communities, employees, and investors.

Our values

SERVICE: Safety, Excellence, Respect, Value, Integrity, Community, Environment

Our Natural Gas and Electric Service

NorthWestern Energy serves 337 communities in Montana, South Dakota and Yellowstone National Park with safe and reliable electricity. We serve natural gas to 202 communities in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska.

Our Hydro Facilities

Our carbon-free hydro system is the foundation of our energy generation portfolio in Montana. In 2023, 35.7% of our electricity for Montana customers came from our hydro facilities.

Giving Back to Our Communities

NorthWestern Energy is committed to being a good corporate citizen of all the communities we serve. In 2023, we gave nearly $2 million in charitable donations and community support.

Delivering a Bright Future

Employee Noel Jacobson wears a hard hat and smiles in Power Park.

Delivering a Bright Future

We won't stop working until the future is as bright as it can be.

Where Does Your Energy Come From?

We provide safe, reliable energy through a balanced mix of clean energy and traditional resources.
osprey nest

Osprey nest move to safe location a success

Date: Jul 5, 2022

TYPE: News

Butte, Mont. – July 5, 2022 – The move in early May of an osprey nest built on an energized power pole to a safe location on a nest platform in Gallatin Gateway is a success. Two chicks hatched from the eggs were spotted being brooded and fed in late June.

Each spring NorthWestern Energy line crews contend with ospreys trying to build nests on energized poles, conditions that present a fire hazard and electrocution risk to the birds. Bozeman NorthWestern Energy crews had knocked off nest sticks from a power pole several times over a few weeks near Gallatin Gateway. The osprey pair persisted and eventually, one day, a lineman found a nest containing two eggs.

“We received permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to try to relocate the nest with eggs instead of destroying it,” NorthWestern Energy Biologist Marco Restani said. “There was a risk that the adults would abandon the relocated nest and we didn’t know if the eggs would hatch after they were moved.”

The chance of success was probably 50% at best, Restani told the crew members.

“It takes osprey eggs a little over a month to hatch and everyone involved has been waiting for the outcome,” he said. “This is the news we were hoping for.”

Moving day in early May was snowy and 27 degrees. NorthWestern Energy crews first erected a pole with a nest platform nearby after receiving permission from the landowner. Line crews then reached the nest on the energized pole with a bucket truck and the female osprey flew away, keeping an eye on their activity.

The two eggs were carefully put in the electric supervisor’s running vehicle to stay warm, while crews moved the nest from the energized pole onto the nest platform. Once the nest was arranged onto the platform, the eggs were retrieved and placed into the nest.

In less than half an hour, the female osprey was incubating her eggs on the new nest platform.

“The line crew worked quickly without hurry in an extremely safe and well-choreographed manner to get the nest and eggs relocated,” wrote Montana State University Affiliate Research Professor Al Harmata in an email, who was on site to observe the move. “Flat-out Amazing!”

Photo by Holly Pippel

In early June, Holly Pippel sent Restani a photo of the male bird’s banded leg, clear enough to confirm that he had banded the bird as a nestling in July 2018 just north of Pray in Paradise Valley. Pippel, a wildlife photographer, also sent him the first photos of the chicks.

The osprey pair has attracted a sizable fan base, said NorthWestern Energy Supervisor Electric Operations Heather Benn.

Holly Pippel photo

“We’ve received a lot of phone calls, pictures and texts thanking us for giving them a safe, new home,” Benn said. “We are all happy to see this success, especially given the challenges. We are looking forward to continuing to watch these two new babies call our platform home.”

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About NorthWestern Energy (Nasdaq: NWE)

NorthWestern Corporation, doing business as NorthWestern Energy, provides essential energy infrastructure and valuable services that enrich lives and empower communities while serving as long-term partners to our customers and communities. We are working to deliver safe, reliable, and innovative energy solutions that create value for customers, communities, employees, and investors. This includes bridging our history as a regulated utility safely providing low-cost and reliable service with our future as a globally-aware company offering a broader array of services performed by highly-adaptable and skilled employees. We provide electricity and / or natural gas to approximately 753,600 customers in Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska and Yellowstone National Park. We have provided service in South Dakota and Nebraska since 1923 and in Montana since 2002. More information is available on the company's Web site at www.northwesternenergy.com.

Media Contacts:

Jo Dee Black

866-622-8081

jodee.black@northwestern.com