Madison Dam — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 6422
- Capacity
- 16.4 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Hydro
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Madison, MT
- Operating Since
- 2021
- Generators
- 4
- Operator
- NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro)
- Parent Company
- —
- Annual Generation
- 76,209 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 52.9%
- Balancing Authority
- NorthWestern Energy (NWMT)
- ISO/RTO
- —
- NERC Region
- WECC
Madison Dam
OperatingHydro
Ranked #16 of 23 Hydro plants in MT#521 of 1454 nationally
16.4 MW Hydro operating in Madison, MT — NorthWestern Energy (NWMT)
EIAWD
16.4 MW
Nameplate Capacity
4
Generators
units
Conventional Hydroelectric
Technology
2021
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
45.4879, -111.6338
County
Madison, MT
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) | — | — |
| Owner(s) | NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) | — | — |
| Status | Operating | — | — |
Ownership Chain
No GEM tracker match for this plant — ownership chain unavailable.
About
Madison Dam is a 16.4 MW hydroelectric power plant located in Madison County, Montana. The plant began operating in 2021 and utilizes conventional hydroelectric technology. It is owned and operated by NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) and consists of 4 generators using water (WAT) as its primary fuel source. Madison Dam operates within the NorthWestern Energy (NWMT) balancing authority in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) NERC region.
In its latest year of operation, Madison Dam generated 76,209 MWh of electricity, achieving a capacity factor of 52.9%. The plant is ranked as the 16th largest out of 23 hydroelectric facilities in Montana, and 528th nationally out of 1464 similar plants. Financial data indicates an installed cost of $3,324.1 per kW. The plant's operations and impact have been covered in approximately 10 news articles, with a focus on industry trends, grid operations, and regulatory matters.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
WECC
Balancing Authority
NorthWestern Energy (NWMT)
Grid Voltage
100 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
6.9K MWh
Latest Month
76.2K MWh
Annual Generation
52.9%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2022 – Dec 2024
Financial DataBeta
Source: FERC Form 1HIGH
$2,174/kW
Installed Cost
NorthWestern Corporation
Reporting Utility
Cumulative Installed Cost
Per-Unit Cost Trends
Pricing & Market Data
This plant is outside organized wholesale electricity markets (ISOs/RTOs). Nodal pricing data is not available.
News & Articles (10)Beta
Industry·corporate
Wisconsin energy utilities sacrifice affordability and sustainability to fuel the AI gold rush
Gas plants used to power data centers increase costs for consumers, risk of exposure to pollutants, and accelerate the harms of climate...
Tone Madison·4 weeks ago
Industry·corporate
At least 4 Wisconsin communities signed secrecy deals for billion-dollar data centers
Massive data center proposals are often developed in secret. Wisconsin has now joined several states with legislative proposals to make the...
WPR·4 weeks ago
Industry·corporate
As energy-hungry data centers loom, Wisconsin ratepayers owe $1B on shuttered power plants
Obsolete power plants continue to cost ratepayers. Now, the push to generate unprecedented amounts of electricity for data centers risks...
WPR·3 months ago
Industry·corporate
Why rural Wisconsin is blocking the AI data center boom: 'Horses are skittish'
Two weeks after Microsoft greenlit a second data center in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, it pulled plans for a separate site 20 miles away due...
Microsoft (buyer)
CNBC·4 months ago
Last updated 2026-03-14
View all 10 articles