Colstrip Energy LP

Coal power plant in Montana, United States of America. Approximate location 45.9752, -106.6547.

CoalMontanaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ reported

Colstrip Energy LP is a 46 MW coal power plant in Montana, United States of America. It is operated by Colstrip Energy LP. Based on reported annual generation of 301 GWh, it can supply roughly 86,000 homes. It ranks #2867 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1990, it is around 36 years old — long-established. Its measured emissions of 145,970 t CO₂/yr (Climate TRACE) are equivalent to about 34,026 cars driven for a year. In context, coal supplies about 16.3% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

46MW installed capacity
301GWh reported / yr
86,000homes powered
145,970t CO₂ / yr (Climate TRACE)
1990commissioned (~36 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010784.

145,970 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

34,026passenger cars driven for a year
19,036homes' yearly energy use
2,432,833tree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions reported to Climate TRACE.

Reported generation trend

2013: 326 GWh20132014: 310 GWh20142015: 314 GWh20152016: 313 GWh20162017: 190 GWh20172018: 328 GWh20182019: 301 GWh2019328 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Colstrip Energy LP.

Local climate & thermal context

This coal plant burns coal to raise high-pressure steam that spins a turbine-generator. It sits in a cold semi-arid steppe climate (Köppen BSk) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 46.0°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

7.7°Cannual mean temp
3,953heating degree-days (base 18°C)
200cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
982 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -6 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 1 °CMA: 7 °CAM: 12 °CMJ: 18 °CJJ: 21 °CJA: 21 °CAS: 15 °CSO: 8 °CON: 1 °CND: -4 °CD21 °C

Heating degree-days here run 61% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 84/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #255 largest coal power plant of 286 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 286 coal power plants in this dataset, together about 249,149 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 45.9752, -106.6547 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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