Wind power set to overtake coal generation capacity in Montana

Montana has long been an energy exporter, sending power generated with Montana-based resources to markets in other states. Between its snowmelt-fed rivers, plentiful coal reserves and abundant wind, the state has ample energy resources to power utilities here and elsewhere. Since Units 3 and 4 of the Colstrip power plant came online in the mid-1980s, coal has comfortably claimed the state’s No. 2 spot behind hydroelectric power for generating capacity. But in recent years, wind has been on the rise as coal-fired facilities shutter and investment in Montana’s sizable wind resource — the sta