Rainbow (MT)
Hydro power plant in Cascade County, Montana. 59 MW of nameplate capacity across 1 generator, operated by NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro).
Also known as Rainbow Power Station · EIA plant 2193
Analyst: free account, 1 question a day.
Key facts
- Capacity
- 59 MWNameplate
- Generators
- 1 operatingEIA-860M, August 2026
- Operating since
- March 2013First generator online
- Operator
- NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro)EIA operator ID 13902
- Grid
- NWMTBalancing authority NWMT
- Price nodes
- None linkedNo verified ISO node
- Location
- Cascade County, MT47.5344, −111.2045
- EIA plant ID
- 2193EIA plant page
Data as of EIA-860M August 2026 (published 2026-09-24). Capacity is nameplate, not live output.
How much power Rainbow (MT) produces
Free · EIA-923Net generation, 2025
299 GWh
298,642 MWh, final
Capacity factor, 2025
57.8%
2024: 63.5%
January to July 2026
Not reported
Provisional. 0 of 7 months reported
Range, 2015 to 2025
294.0–453.4
GWh a year. Low 2022, high 2019
| Year | Net generation, MWh | Capacity factor | Months reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Not reported | Not reported | 0 of 12 |
| 2001 | 195,445 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2002 | 205,499 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2003 | 215,588 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2004 | 211,981 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2005 | 232,736 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2006 | 238,164 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2007 | 228,869 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2008 | 239,938 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2009 | 268,072 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2010 | 252,528 | 78.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2011 | 230,631 | 71.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2012 | 241,199 | 75.0% | 12 of 12 |
| 2013 | 289,203 | Not reported | 12 of 12 |
| 2014 | 367,241 | 71.1% | 12 of 12 |
| 2015 | 347,742 | 67.3% | 12 of 12 |
| 2016 | 343,233 | 66.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2017 | 376,048 | 72.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2018 | 398,801 | 77.2% | 12 of 12 |
| 2019 | 453,370 | 87.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2020 | 402,133 | 77.6% | 12 of 12 |
| 2021 | 308,369 | 59.7% | 12 of 12 |
| 2022 | 294,013 | 56.9% | 12 of 12 |
| 2023 | 394,875 | 76.4% | 12 of 12 |
| 2024 | 328,967 | 63.5% | 12 of 12 |
| 2025 | 298,642 | 57.8% | 12 of 12 |
| 2026 (provisional, partial year) | Not reported | Not reported | 0 of 7 |
* 2026 covers January to July and is provisional. Capacity factor is net generation divided by nameplate capacity times the hours of each reported month.
Power prices and basis
Free accountNo verified ISO price node is linked to this plant, or its price history could not load.
Emissions
Free · EPA CAMPDNo EPA emissions units are linked to this plant.
Water use
Free · EIA-923 cooling, USGSNo EIA cooling-water record for this plant in 2024. Plants without steam cooling, such as wind, solar and batteries, do not report cooling water.
Generators
Free · EIA-860M| Generator | Technology | Nameplate MW | Online since |
|---|---|---|---|
| RAI9 | Conventional Hydroelectric | 59.0 | March 2013 |
Ownership and offtake
ProOwnership and offtake are part of Pro
Owners and their shares, parent companies, and power purchase agreements with their buyers. EIA-860M lists NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) as the operator, which is not always the owner.
Modeled data
ProPro adds modeled values for this plant. Everything above stays free.
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Power plants near Rainbow (MT)
More plants operated by NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro)
Questions about Rainbow (MT)
How much power does Rainbow (MT) produce?
Rainbow (MT) reported 298,642 MWh (299 GWh) of net generation in 2025, a 57.8% capacity factor on 59 MW of nameplate capacity.
Where is Rainbow (MT)?
Rainbow (MT) is in Cascade County, Montana, at 47.5344, −111.2045. It is in the NorthWestern Energy (NWMT) balancing area (NWMT).
Who operates Rainbow (MT)?
EIA-860M for August 2026 lists NorthWestern Energy (MT Hydro) as the operator (EIA operator ID 13902). The operator is not always the owner.
When did Rainbow (MT) start operating?
Its first generator began operating in March 2013, according to EIA-860M.
Sources
- EIA-860 2025 (final) and EIA-860M August 2026: plant, generators, capacity, operator and location
- EIA-923 monthly net generation, 2000 to July 2026 (2026 provisional)
- Plant names from OpenStreetMap, © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)
Page updated 2026-10-04 from the InfraMap data build. Methodology · Data sources · EIA plant page