Electric Transmission
Our electric transmission and distribution system covers a vast, rural area where we have more poles than customers.
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Where Does Your Energy Come From?
Our electric portfolio includes a balanced mix of safe, reliable, affordable and clean energy.
At NorthWestern Energy, our goal is to provide our customers reliable energy at the lowest long-term cost. We do this through a balanced mix of safe, reliable, affordable and clean energy. Our electric portfolio is built on the carbon-free hydro system, along with wind, coal, gas and solar. Wind and solar are variable energy resources, meaning they don’t produce power if the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining. Coal and natural gas, or thermals, are reliable and resilient energy sources that can start up quickly whenever we need them. This mix of renewable and traditional resources help us keep energy bills as affordable and predictable as possible.
Our Clean Energy Portfolio
55%
of our electric generation companywide comes from carbon-free sources
50%
reduction in carbon intensity of our Montana generation portfolio in the past decade
$1 Billion
invested in clean energy initiatives in the last five years
Our Electric Generation Portfolio
Our Electric Generation Portfolio
In 2022, 55% of our electric generation was from carbon-free resources, compared to 40% of megawatt hours generated by the U.S. electric power industry.
Our Montana Electric Generation Portfolio
Our Montana Electric Generation Portfolio
Our 100% clean hydro system is the backbone of our electric generation in Montana. We own 10 hydroelectric generating facilities in Montana, which supplied 32% of our electric generation in 2022. Wind and solar bring us to nearly 60% carbon-free generation.
Our South Dakota Electric Generation Portfolio
Our South Dakota Electric Generation Portfolio
Nearly half of our electricity for our South Dakota customers comes from wind resources.
Contracted energy from Colstrip Energy Limited Partners (CELP), Yellowstone Energy Limited Partners (YELP) as well as a majority of the contracted wind, hydro and solar are federally mandated Qualifying Facilities, as defined under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA).
NorthWestern does not own all the renewable energy certificates (RECs) generated by contracted resources, and periodically sells its own RECs with proceeds benefiting retail customers. Accordingly, we cannot represent that 100% of carbon-free energy in the portfolio was delivered to our customers.