Black Eagle
Cascade County, Montana · EIA plant ID 2181 · Operator: NorthWestern Energy
Nameplate27MWSummer 27 MW
Generators3in service
Net generation110GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor47%hydro units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online1927
Monthly net generation
EIA-923, all units at the plant. Net of station use; storage can go negative.
FinalPreliminary
Capacity factor by year
Net MWh ÷ (summer MW × hours), hydro units. Each year uses that year's EIA-860 ratings; the hollow dot is the latest 12 months.
Heat rate by year
Electric fuel MMBtu × 1000 ÷ net MWh (Btu/kWh, HHV), fossil units only; CT + CA counted as one combined-cycle block.
Heat rate applies to fuel-burning (thermal) units only.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 102.5 | 58.1% | — |
| 2002 | 111.9 | 63.9% | — |
| 2003 | 122.1 | 58.1% | — |
| 2004 | 114.6 | 54.4% | — |
| 2005 | 126.3 | 60.1% | — |
| 2006 | 136.2 | 64.8% | — |
| 2007 | 124.1 | 59.0% | — |
| 2008 | 126.2 | 68.4% | — |
| 2009 | 142.6 | 77.5% | — |
| 2010 | 141.6 | 77.0% | — |
| 2011 | 147 | 79.9% | — |
| 2012 | 120.7 | 65.4% | — |
| 2013 | 110 | 59.8% | — |
| 2014 | 121 | 65.8% | — |
| 2015 | 127.3 | 69.2% | — |
| 2016 | 118.3 | 64.1% | — |
| 2017 | 126.3 | 68.7% | — |
| 2018 | 138.7 | 75.4% | — |
| 2019 | 142.2 | 77.3% | — |
| 2020 | 118.8 | 64.4% | — |
| 2021 | 99.8 | 54.3% | — |
| 2022 | 98.1 | 49.8% | — |
| 2023 | 121.5 | 57.8% | — |
| 2024 | 127.5 | 54.4% | — |
| 2025 | 110.3 | 47.2% | — |
Generators
EIA-860 (annual) with EIA-860M updates through Sep 2026. EIA-923 reports generation by plant, prime mover and fuel, not by unit, so unit-level output isn't shown.
| Gen ID | Technology | Prime mover | Nameplate MW | Summer MW | Online | Status | Planned retirement | OEM / model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLA1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 9 | 9 | Sep 1927 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| BLA2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 8.7 | 8.7 | Sep 1927 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| BLA3 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 9 | 9 | Sep 1927 | Operating | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: NorthWestern Energy. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| NorthWestern Energy | 100.0% | 27 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Black Eagle Solar, LLC | 3 MW | 3 km |
| Rainbow (MT) | 59 MW | 4.5 km |
| Cochrane | 59 MW | 5.3 km |
| Ryan | 55 MW | 11.7 km |
| Horseshoe Bend Wind Park | 10 MW | 13.6 km |
| Morony | 63 MW | 16.5 km |