The rules on data centers in Montana
We hold no state-level policy event for Montana. That is our coverage, not a finding: it means nothing has crossed our sources, not that nothing is happening. 9 large load interconnection requests are recorded here, totalling 466 MW. 1 interconnection deadlines bind projects in this state. As of 15 September 2026.
In plain words
Nothing has reached us about Montana changing its rules for data centers. That means nothing has crossed our sources — not that nothing is happening. Meanwhile 9 big new power users have asked to connect here. See where they are in Montana, or check your own address.
What is on file for Montana
Nothing state-specific for Montana has reached our sources. Our policy tracking is deliberately narrow — moratoriums, large-load tariffs, siting rules and interconnection reform — and it is not a substitute for a legislative tracking service. If you know of something we should hold, tell us and it goes in with its source.
Key dates for projects here
no dated windows published
| Queue | What closes | Closes | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| FERC | FERC large-load show cause — stakeholder comments on RTO responses Comments on the six RTO/ISO responses to the FPA section 206 show-cause orders of 18 June 2026 (PJM EL26-67, SPP EL26-68, NYISO EL26-69, MISO EL26-70… | No date published yet | unconfirmed source |
| FERC | FERC RM26-4 — generic large-load rulemaking Still at ANOPR stage. | No date published yet | confirmed source |
| FERC | Georgia PSC - Georgia Power must file large-load contracts 30 days before execution A standing obligation rather than a dated one: large-load contracts must be filed with the commission at least 30 days before they are executed. | No date published yet | confirmed source |
| SPP | SPP 2028 CPP Interconnection Cluster Study (ICS) application window Definitive Interconnection System Impact Study cluster, post Order 2023 compliance. | No date published yet | confirmed source |
A date marked confirmed was checked by a person against the authority's own tariff, order or form page. Anything else is listed so you know it exists, with a link so you can check it yourself. Full calendar.
Federal decisions, which apply everywhere
6 items
| Date | What happened | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-12 | DOE cancels all three remaining proposed NIETC transmission corridors Lake Erie–Canada, Southwestern Grid Connector, and Tribal Energy Access corridors cancelled; the federal corridor-designation framework is dead. State siting is now the whole game. source | final |
| 2026-06-18 | FERC §206 show-cause orders to all six RTOs on large-load integration (EL26-67 through EL26-72) Every RTO/ISO must justify or reform its large-load interconnection rules. PJM (EL26-67) responses due 2026-08-17; comments due 2026-09-16. Compliance filings will become a primary structured source of load-queue transparency. source | open |
| 2026-03-01 | FERC further guidance on co-located load interconnection (EL25-49 line of cases) Follow-on to the Talen–Susquehanna ISA rejection (ER24-2172) and the PJM co-location show-cause; sets the frame for behind-the-meter data centers at generators. source | open |
| 2026-02-12 | EIA-860S emergency-approved: state air-permit inventory of >1 MW backup generators New collection motivated by AI data centers; backup-genset permits are the best forthcoming government proxy for data-center locations. EIA also running voluntary DC pilot surveys in TX, WA, NoVA. source | in-effect |
| 2025-10-23 | FERC opens RM26-4: Interconnection of Large Loads to the Interstate Transmission System DOE §403 directive forced an expedited rulemaking on large-load interconnection (large load defined >20 MW). ANOPR concepts: 60-day studies, cost allocation, co-location reliability rules. source | open |
| 2024-05-13 | Order 2023/2023-A generator interconnection reform — cluster transitions ongoing All ISOs moved to cluster studies with readiness deposits; PJM transition cycles TC1/TC2, ISO-NE first cluster 2026, CAISO Cluster 15. Reshapes every queue metric on this dashboard. source | implementing |
Big new power users recorded in Montana
9 requests
Requests to connect large new customers — data centers, factories, electrification — rather than power plants. Nobody is required to publish these, so what exists publicly is thin: this is what we hold, not what exists.
| Request | County | Capacity | Status | Queue | Stated use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rainbow Energy | Flathead County | 300 MW | withdrawn | BPA | not stated |
| Amnet | Flathead County | 70 MW | withdrawn | BPA | not stated |
| Four Mile Drive (Kalispell West) | Lincoln County | 35 MW | active | BPA | not stated |
| Whitefish Stage Road_HWY 40 | Flathead County | 35 MW | withdrawn | BPA | not stated |
| Montanore Mine | Lincoln County | 26 MW | withdrawn | BPA | not stated |
| Merchant Txm Line-Townsend | Jefferson County | — | withdrawn | BPA | not stated |
| Merchant Txm Line-Garrison | Powell County | — | withdrawn | BPA | not stated |
| Flathead Substation 230kV Bay | Flathead County | — | active | BPA | not stated |
| Kalispell Substation | Flathead County | — | withdrawn | BPA | not stated |
Most of these filings do not say what the power is for. “Not stated” is the filing's own silence — these rows must not be described as data centers.
Which counties in Montana this is happening in
top 10 by power requested
| County | Waiting to connect | Capacity queued |
|---|---|---|
| Wheatland County | 8 | 3.2 GW |
| Rosebud County | 5 | 2.9 GW |
| Meagher County | 4 | 1.5 GW |
| Yellowstone County | 6 | 1.2 GW |
| Big Horn County | 3 | 608 MW |
| Stillwater County | 4 | 595 MW |
| Broadwater County | 2 | 160 MW |
| Cascade County | 1 | 70 MW |
| Lewis and Clark County | 3 | 19 MW |
| Flathead County | 5 | 9 MW |
Before you commit to a site in Montana
A county report puts the policy position, the queue and the deadlines for one county in a sourced PDF, with the date each figure was true on every page. The first one is free.
Get a free county report Montana interconnection queue The deadline calendar