Montana Data Centers
Wheeler Center
October 27, 2026
Bob Morris
Lance Energy Chair
rmorris4@mtech.edu
Opportunities, Risks, and
Community Choices
Data Centers: Essential Infrastructure
Secure facilities that store, process, and transmit digital information
EVERYDAY LIFE
Banking, healthcare, communications, travel, cloud services, and AI
NATIONAL SECURITY
Military operations, cybersecurity, intelligence, emergency response, and technological leadership
COMMUNITY BENEFITS
Jobs, tax revenue, infrastructure investment, and protection of local resources
Host communities should share in the benefits while protecting electricity, water, and other local resources.
Why Montana Attracts Data Centers
3
Atlas
Sabey
Quantica
NYDIG
Proposed
Existing
U.S. Electricity on the Rise (Again)
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Historical Statistics of the United States, Millennial Edition (1902-2000); U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Annual, Table 3.1.A (2001-2024); EIA, Today in Energy, March 2026 (2025, preliminary
Terawatt hours
4
2-3% CAGR
Coal
Natural Gas
Nuclear
Renewables
4.7% CAGR
Load Growth Places Downward Pressure on Electricity Prices
2019 – 2024 Inflation Adjusted
Factors Influencing Recent Trends in Retail Electricity Prices in the United States: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory & The Brattle Group, October 2025
MDU: Data Centers Cover Their Own Costs, Lower Costs for Others�Returns to Customers
https://www.montana-dakota.com/rates-services/large-customers-shared-value-customer-benefits/
Polaris Forge 1 Project
Ellendale, ND
$38.4M in 3yrs
$2.2M annually
$1.1M in 3yrs
Atlas
Williston, ND
Data Center Contributes to Congestion
1. North Dakota Public Service Commission records
NERC Assesses Electrical Supply Risks
NERC 2025 Long Term Reliability Assessment
High Risk Regions
Retirement of Coal, Gas & Nuclear Generation
Expansion of Intermittent Wind, Solar, & Battery
Load Growth
Regulation
Supply Chains
Montana Electricity Users Have Supply Options
Northwestern Energy Long Term Energy Forecast
Northwestern Energy 2026 Integrated Resource Plan
Northwestern Energy Plans for Data Center Growth�Capacity Additions (MW) for Base Case and Data Center Loads of 150, 650, 1160 MW
Northwestern Energy 2026 Integrated Resource Plan
$41
$35
$40
$42
Capacity
(Megawatts)
0
10
20
30
40
50
Energy Cost ($/MWh)
Montana Power Producers Plan for 11GW New Resources�Northwestern Energy Interconnection Queue
source: https://www.oasis.oati.com/NWMT/index.html, updated 6/3/2026
84% Wind, Solar, Battery
GW
GW
GW
Wind
Broadview Data Center Energy Concept
Solar
Battery
Natural Gas
Data Centers Optimize Cooling System Design
https://blog.equinix.com/blog/2025/04/08/how-to-speak-like-a-data-center-geek-cooling/
Select Cooling System to Optimize Water & Energy Use
https://baltimoreaircoil.com/articles/data-center-cooling-options
Oklahoma State Data Center�Closed Loop Liquid Cool, No External Water
16
Chilled Water Buffer Tank
Dry Chiller
Chilled Door Liquid Server Cooling
Adiabatic Building Cooling Optimizes Energy & Water Use
17
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Water-cooling-design-in-the-data-center-25_fig2_359538981
+ Simple Design + Low Power Use + No Water Use Below 80°F
How Much Water Will a Butte Data Center Use?�Cooling System: Adiabatic Building, Liquid Server�
Total Electrical Load 250MW
Water Use 16M gal/yr
44k gal/day
Butte Has a Robust Industrial Water System�MGD = Million Gallons Per Day
Industrial
Potable
6.2 MGD Average
Bob Morris 26 January 2026. Per analysis of BSB Silver Lake Water System and proposed Montana Connections data center per Sabey Data Centers
25 MGD Capacity
2.4 MGD Average
Broadview Water Study
~700 wells within 9 miles of Broadview
Multiple aquifers at 0 – 1,000ft depth
Typical yields: 1 – 50 GPM
Poor water quality
Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology Open-File Report 567
Broadview Data Center Water Use Considerations
Use dry building cooling, liquid server cooling
Design for 20,000 gallons per day
Explore deep aquifers
Build a water treatment facility
250 MW Butte Data Center | Jobs | Taxes
DURING CONSTRUCTION
DURING OPERATIONS
900
Direct on-site jobs
3,300
Total Montana jobs
175
Permanent on-site jobs
875
Total ongoing jobs
Annual County Property Tax Addition: $5M-$8M
BBER Economic Outlook Seminar, February 2025. John Kasperick, Northwestern Energy, numbers are averaged/rounded. Assumes data center located in the Montana Connections TIF district. Most property taxes retained by the TIF district
500 MW Broadview Data Center | Jobs
DURING CONSTRUCTION
DURING OPERATIONS
500
Direct on-site jobs
~2,000
Total Montana jobs
170
Permanent on-site jobs
390
Total ongoing jobs
Source: UM BBER, July 2026, slides 5, 8–9.
500 MW Broadview Data Center | Tax Impact
Modeled annual tax payments including an on-site 500 MW natural gas plant
$35.7 MILLION
Annual state and local taxes
NEARLY $100,000 PER DAY
10% of Yellowstone County Property Tax Collections
Where the data center property taxes go
$19.4M
New public revenue
$13.8M
Tax relief for existing property owners
Source: UM BBER, July 2026, slides 11–12, 14. $33.2M in data center property taxes, $2.5M in gas plant taxes.
Quincy, WA Experience and Lessons
1. WA State Representative Alex Ybarra R-Quincy WATCH: How data centers rescued a struggling central Washington community | Washington | thecentersquare.com
2. The Tulsa Flyer, James G. Wright, February 24, 2026. 3. Grant County PUD
26