Colstrip
Rosebud County, Montana · EIA plant ID 6076 · Operator: Talen Montana LLC
×716 MW coal retired since 2020 (latest Jan 2020)
Nameplate1,647MWSummer 1,480 MW
Generators2in service
Net generation7,893GWh12 mo to Aug 2026
Capacity factor25%gas/coal/oil units, summer MW
Heat rate11,260Btu/kWhfossil units, electric fuel, HHV
First online1984Runs as intermediate
The 12-month figures include preliminary EIA-923 months, which EIA revises. Final data runs through Dec 2025.
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), gas/coal/oil 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.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 15,452.2 | 84.2% | 10,559 |
| 2002 | 13,886.8 | 75.7% | 10,676 |
| 2003 | 15,215 | 82.9% | 10,926 |
| 2004 | 15,571.3 | 84.7% | 10,996 |
| 2005 | 16,240.8 | 88.5% | 10,895 |
| 2006 | 14,764.7 | 80.5% | 11,056 |
| 2007 | 15,840.1 | 86.4% | 10,771 |
| 2008 | 16,086.8 | 87.5% | 10,868 |
| 2009 | 13,155 | 71.7% | 10,827 |
| 2010 | 16,211.9 | 88.4% | 10,675 |
| 2011 | 13,025.2 | 71.0% | 10,729 |
| 2012 | 12,251 | 66.6% | 10,799 |
| 2013 | 12,737.9 | 69.4% | 10,658 |
| 2014 | 13,729.9 | 74.9% | 10,750 |
| 2015 | 14,844.3 | 80.9% | 10,684 |
| 2016 | 13,358.7 | 72.6% | 10,877 |
| 2017 | 13,338 | 72.7% | 10,833 |
| 2018 | 12,656.7 | 69.0% | 10,941 |
| 2019 | 13,407.7 | 73.1% | 10,922 |
| 2020 | 7,935.2 | 61.0% | 11,068 |
| 2021 | 10,010.3 | 77.2% | 10,696 |
| 2022 | 10,865.6 | 83.8% | 10,693 |
| 2023 | 10,820.4 | 83.5% | 10,786 |
| 2024 | 9,028.5 | 69.5% | 10,888 |
| 2025 | 9,171.2 | 70.7% | 10,837 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Conventional Steam Coal | ST | 823.7 | 740 | Jan 1984 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 4 | Conventional Steam Coal | ST | 823.7 | 740 | Apr 1986 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| GEN1 | Conventional Steam Coal | ST | 358 | 307 | Nov 1975 | not_current | — | coming soon |
| GEN2 | Conventional Steam Coal | ST | 358 | 307 | Aug 1976 | not_current | — | coming soon |
| GEN3 | Conventional Steam Coal | ST | 778 | 740 | Jan 1984 | not_current | — | coming soon |
| GEN4 | Conventional Steam Coal | ST | 778 | 740 | Apr 1986 | not_current | — | coming soon |
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | ST | 358 | 307 | Nov 1975 | Retired Jan 2020 | — | coming soon |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | ST | 358 | 307 | Aug 1976 | Retired Jan 2020 | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: Talen Montana LLC. Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| Puget Sound Energy Inc | 25.0% | 412 MW |
| Portland General Electric Co | 20.0% | 330 MW |
| NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) | 15.0% | 247 MW |
| Avista Corp | 15.0% | 247 MW |
| Talen Montana LLC | 15.0% | 247 MW |
| PacifiCorp | 10.0% | 165 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Colstrip Energy LP | 46 MW | 10.7 km |
| Hardin Generator Project | 116 MW | 77.7 km |