PSE IN MONTANA:
BEAVER CREEK WIND PROJECT
UPDATE: In the Fall of 2024, Puget Sound Energy’s Beaver Creek Wind Facility marked a big milestone with all 88 turbines now standing and fully assembled in 91 days! The final wind turbine was installed on September 16, 2024 just 24 weeks since groundbreaking. While all 88 turbines are now standing, more work needs to be done in the coming months before the wind farm is expected to be operational in August of 2025. Behind the scenes work includes wiring, mechanical inspections, and other pre-commissioning work.
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Puget Sound Energy (PSE)’s new Beaver Creek wind farm is a utility-scale wind project located on the high plains in Stillwater County, Montana. PSE is continuing to invest in Montana’s energy economy as PSE works to add more clean energy to its portfolio.
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The wind farm will have an expected initial nameplate capacity of 248 megawatts (MW), enough energy to power about 83,000 homes a year. Additionally, there will be an opportunity to add wind turbines in neighboring Sweet Grass County as well as a lithium-ion battery energy storage system to shape Beaver Creek’s variable wind output and better match PSE’s customer energy needs. Montana wind has a high production rate that is especially valuable during extremely cold weather in the Pacific Northwest, when high pressure systems mean that Washington wind farms do not produce much energy.
LATEST UPDATES FROM THE BEAVER CREEK WIND PROJECT:
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​SUBSTATION NEARS COMPLETION
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December 2024 - All 88 turbines are complete and accepted at the Beaver Creek Wind project. All ground restoration is complete, with some touch-ups scheduled in the Spring of 2025. In this photo (left): substation nears completion.
MORE NEWS FROM THE BEAVER CREEK WIND PROJECT:
FINAL TURBINE FULLY ASSEMBLED AT PSE'S BEAVER CREEK WIND PROJECT
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October 2024 - The 88th and final wind turbine was installed in the Fall of 2024 at PSE’s Beaver Creek wind facility in Stillwater County, Montana. The first wind turbine was fully assembled in June of 2024. Learn more here >>>
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PUGET SOUND ENERGY ANNOUNCES MILESTONE IN BEAVER CREEK WIND PROJECT
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June 20, 2024 - Puget Sound Energy announced a big milestone in its Beaver Creek Wind Project as the first wind turbine has been fully assembled on day 63 of construction. Over the next few months, 87 more turbines will be erected in Stillwater County, Montana. The wind farm is the latest addition in a growing list of renewable energy resources PSE is acquiring as it works toward meeting clean energy goals for 2025 and beyond. Read more here >>>
Investing in Montana's Energy Economy
"Montana's wind resources are valuable assets to PSE's portfolio given their high contribution to our peak capacity needs. Montana winds blow longer and stronger in the winter when our customer demand is greatest."
-Ron Roberts, Vice President of Energy Supply, Puget Sound Energy
"PSE is undergoing one of the largest clean energy transformations of any utility in the country."
-Mary Kipp, president and CEO of Puget Sound Energy​
PSE has been a partner in Montana’s energy economy since the 1970s and continues to invest in the state of Montana and its communities. The project will interconnect on NorthWestern Energy’s system and will use existing PSE transmission on the Colstrip Transmission System to bring the wind energy back to PSE customers.
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About the Beaver Creek Wind Project:
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The wind farm is expected to utilize an estimated 150-200 skilled workers during construction with an ongoing need for 10-15 permanent on-site workers during operation.
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The project will utilize federal tax credits, and comply with provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act that emphasize the importance of union and/or prevailing wage jobs and apprenticeship programs for tradespeople involved with the project. It is also PSE's intent to use domestically produced products when possible.
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Construction is set to begin in spring of 2024 with the facility expecting to be operational in 2025.
As part of its work to add additional clean energy resources to its portfolio, PSE continues to partner with energy producers in the state of Montana. Recent examples include power purchase agreements signed with Energy Keepers, Inc., the tribally owned corporation of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes for hydroelectric power, and an agreement with NextEra, Montana’s largest windfarm Clearwater Wind, based in Rosebud, Custer and Garfield Counties. Learn more about these projects and PSE’s work in Montana HERE.