AI data center sites in Montana
44 Montana counties scored on transmission, the interconnection queue, power price and tax. Updated October 18, 2026.
Open a county for its queue requests, substations, plants and data centers.
| County | Score | Pipeline | Power price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 48 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 44 | 300 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 44 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 44 | 710 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 42 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 39 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 38 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 37 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 37 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 36 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 35 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 34 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 33 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 33 | 7 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 33 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 33 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 32 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 32 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 32 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 31 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 31 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 30 | 400 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 30 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 30 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 30 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 30 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 30 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 30 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 30 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 29 | 74 MW | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 27 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 27 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 25 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 25 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 25 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 25 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 24 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 24 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 24 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 22 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 21 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 21 | - | 6.8¢/kWh | |
| 20 | - | 6.8¢/kWh |
Pipeline: active generation and storage requests in the ISO queue, or EIA planned plants where larger (outside the ISOs). Top kV: highest substation voltage. Power price: the state's industrial average. DCs: GPU colocation, mining sites and AI campuses.
What the data shows
The strongest Montana counties for a large AI load are Yellowstone County (50), Rosebud County (48) and Big Horn County (44) on the site score. Montana sits in utility territory, MISO and SPP; its ISO queues hold 374 MW of active generation and storage requests, 74 MW of them with a signed interconnection agreement, and it has 5 substations at 345 kV and up.
Industrial power averaged 6.8¢/kWh (EIA, July 2026 YTD), against 7.0¢/kWh a year earlier, the 7th lowest of the 50 states and DC. Montana has no data center-specific sales tax exemption. We track 0 AI campuses and 0 GPU-ready colocation facilities here.
Top 6 counties in detail
1. Yellowstone CountyUtility: NorthWestern Energy
Site score 50 of 100
- Transmission
- 25/25
- Generation pipeline
- 2/20
- Industrial power price
- 20/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 4/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 0/10
- Data center activity
- 0/10
- Market
- Utility: NorthWestern Energy
- Queue (active)
- 0 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 50 MW
- Top substation
- 500 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 6
- Operating plants
- 360 MW
- Retired or retiring
- 0 MW
- Industrial power, MT
- 6.8¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- None
Substations, 115 kV and up
- BROADVIEW · 10 lines500 kV
- BILLINGS · 10 lines230 kV
- ALKALI CREEK · 5 lines230 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines230 kV
- SHOREY ROAD · 3 lines230 kV
- CUSTER · 2 lines230 kV
- Unnamed · 4 lines138 kV
- Unnamed · 6 lines115 kV
Planned, retiring and retired plants
- Beartooth Energy Storage LLC · Storage, planned 202750 MW
2. Rosebud CountyUtility: NorthWestern Energy
Site score 48 of 100
- Transmission
- 19/25
- Generation pipeline
- 0/20
- Industrial power price
- 20/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 9/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 0/10
- Data center activity
- 0/10
- Market
- Utility: NorthWestern Energy
- Queue (active)
- 0 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 0 MW
- Top substation
- 500 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 2
- Operating plants
- 2.3 GW
- Retired or retiring
- 0 MW
- Industrial power, MT
- 6.8¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- None
Substations, 115 kV and up
- COLSTRIP · 12 lines500 kV
- ROSEBUD CREEK · 3 lines230 kV
- COLSTRIP · 6 lines138 kV
- COLSTRIP · 4 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
3. Big Horn CountyUtility: WAPA Upper Great Plains West
Site score 44 of 100
- Transmission
- 16/25
- Generation pipeline
- 4/20
- Industrial power price
- 20/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 4/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 0/10
- Data center activity
- 0/10
- Market
- Utility: WAPA Upper Great Plains West
- Queue (active)
- 300 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 0 MW
- Top substation
- 230 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 4
- Operating plants
- 397 MW
- Retired or retiring
- 0 MW
- Industrial power, MT
- 6.8¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- None
Largest queue requests
| Project | Point of interconnection | MW | Type | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Huntley 230 kV SubstationSPP ASGI-2024-012 | South Huntley 230 kV Substation | 300 | Solar | In study |
Substations, 115 kV and up
- Unnamed · 6 lines230 kV
- CROSSOVER · 4 lines230 kV
- HARDEN · 4 lines230 kV
- DECKER · 3 lines230 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines115 kV
4. Sanders CountyUtility: Avista
Site score 44 of 100
- Transmission
- 19/25
- Generation pipeline
- 0/20
- Industrial power price
- 20/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 5/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 0/10
- Data center activity
- 0/10
- Market
- Utility: Avista
- Queue (active)
- 0 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 0 MW
- Top substation
- 500 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 2
- Operating plants
- 586 MW
- Retired or retiring
- 0 MW
- Industrial power, MT
- 6.8¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- None
Substations, 115 kV and up
- HOT SPRINGS · 6 lines500 kV
- NOXON · 6 lines230 kV
5. Wheatland CountyUtility: NorthWestern Energy
Site score 44 of 100
- Transmission
- 14/25
- Generation pipeline
- 7/20
- Industrial power price
- 20/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 3/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 0/10
- Data center activity
- 0/10
- Market
- Utility: NorthWestern Energy
- Queue (active)
- 0 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 710 MW
- Top substation
- 230 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 3
- Operating plants
- 165 MW
- Retired or retiring
- 0 MW
- Industrial power, MT
- 6.8¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- None
Substations, 115 kV and up
- JUDITH GAP WIND FARM · 3 lines230 kV
- JUDITH GAP · 2 lines230 kV
- JUDITH GAP WIND ENERGY CENTER · 1 lines230 kV
Planned, retiring and retired plants
- Haymaker Hybrid · Wind, planned 2031630 MW
- Jawbone Wind Project · Wind, planned 202980 MW
6. Flathead CountyUtility: Bonneville Power Administration
Site score 42 of 100
- Transmission
- 18/25
- Generation pipeline
- 0/20
- Industrial power price
- 20/20
- Existing and retiring plants
- 4/15
- Sales tax exemption
- 0/10
- Data center activity
- 0/10
- Market
- Utility: Bonneville Power Administration
- Queue (active)
- 0 MW
- Agreement signed
- 0 MW
- Planned plants (EIA)
- 0 MW
- Top substation
- 230 kV
- Substations 230 kV+
- 7
- Operating plants
- 438 MW
- Retired or retiring
- 0 MW
- Industrial power, MT
- 6.8¢/kWh
- Sales tax exemption
- None
Substations, 115 kV and up
- COLUMBIA FALLS · 5 lines230 kV
- Unnamed · 3 lines230 kV
- CONKELLEY · 3 lines230 kV
- HASKILL · 2 lines230 kV
- FLATHEAD · 2 lines230 kV
- HUNGRY HORSE · 2 lines230 kV
- LION MOUNTAIN · 2 lines230 kV
- STILLWATER · 2 lines115 kV
Data center tax exemption in Montana
Montana levies no general state sales tax, so no sales tax exemption applies.
Source: Montana Department of Revenue, accessed 2026-10-17. General information, not tax advice; ask your tax advisor.
How the score works
Six parts out of 100: transmission (25), generation in the queue (20), the state's industrial power price (20), existing and retiring plants (15), sales tax exemption (10) and data center activity (10). The site finder's methodology prints each formula and every source with its date. Markets: Utility territory (no ISO/RTO), MISO (Midwest and South), SPP (Plains).
All states
- US site finder
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Discuss a transaction
Funding a data center or the GPUs going into one in Montana? Tell us about the site and the capital you need, and we will come back with the lenders and the structure that fit. Operators raising debt for a cluster can start at gpulenders.com.
Prefer email? hello@amcompute.com