Cochrane
Cascade County, Montana · EIA plant ID 2182 · Operator: NorthWestern Energy
Nameplate59MWSummer 62 MW
Generators2in service
Net generation215GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor40%hydro units, summer MW
Heat rate—thermal plants only
First online1958
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 | 189.7 | 47.5% | — |
| 2002 | 207.6 | 42.3% | — |
| 2003 | 234.7 | 55.8% | — |
| 2004 | 212.2 | 50.3% | — |
| 2005 | 259.3 | 61.7% | — |
| 2006 | 276.8 | 65.8% | — |
| 2007 | 233.8 | 55.6% | — |
| 2008 | 270.7 | 48.1% | — |
| 2009 | 298.4 | 53.2% | — |
| 2010 | 296.9 | 52.9% | — |
| 2011 | 285 | 50.8% | — |
| 2012 | 227.9 | 40.5% | — |
| 2013 | 229.2 | 40.9% | — |
| 2014 | 244.5 | 43.6% | — |
| 2015 | 260.6 | 46.5% | — |
| 2016 | 234.2 | 41.6% | — |
| 2017 | 288.2 | 51.4% | — |
| 2018 | 326.3 | 60.1% | — |
| 2019 | 326.1 | 60.0% | — |
| 2020 | 302.3 | 55.5% | — |
| 2021 | 221.5 | 40.8% | — |
| 2022 | 220.6 | 40.0% | — |
| 2023 | 244.7 | 44.3% | — |
| 2024 | 228 | 41.2% | — |
| 2025 | 215.3 | 39.6% | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COC1 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 28.4 | 31 | Jul 1958 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| COC2 | Conventional Hydroelectric | HY | 31 | 31 | Jul 1958 | 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% | 59 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Rainbow (MT) | 59 MW | 0.8 km |
| Black Eagle Solar, LLC | 3 MW | 4.6 km |
| Black Eagle | 27 MW | 5.3 km |
| Ryan | 55 MW | 6.5 km |
| Morony | 63 MW | 11.2 km |
| Horseshoe Bend Wind Park | 10 MW | 18.9 km |