Utility Tariff Analysis · Updated September 2026

NorthWestern Energy's Large New Load Tariff: What It Means for AI Data Center Siting in Montana

September 18, 2026 6 min read Strategic Crypto Reserve Data Center Infrastructure

New large loads served from transmission or substation infrastructure are covered today by NorthWestern Energy's existing Schedule GSEDS-2 for customers served directly from a transmission line or qualifying substation, and, pending before the Montana Public Service Commission since March 2026, a proposed dedicated Large New Load Tariff.

Montana at a glance: industrial power about 8.4¢/kWh (EIA-based, indexed to April 2026) · grid queue about 30 months · data center equipment tax exemption: no state sales tax. Indicative figures from the SCR AI Build Configurator v1.4.0.

The Tariff Explained Model a Montana Build Free

NorthWestern Energy's Large New Load Tariff

NorthWestern Energy

2026.04.023

Regulatory docket / filing reference

New large loads served from transmission or substation infrastructure

Who the tariff applies to

Also active in Montana: Montana is already hosting a 1,000 MW Quantica Infrastructure data center project (500 MW in an initial phase beginning as early as 2026) and a 150 MW Atlas Power Group project in Butte.

Montana at a glance: large-load tariff threshold, docket and who it applies to

Named Projects Already Underway

Customer	Location	Details
Quantica Infrastructure	Montana	1,000 MW data center project; initial 500 MW phase to begin as early as 2026, full expansion by 2030
Atlas Power Group	Butte, MT	150 MW data center project, with 75 MW available in 2026

Figures compiled from the Edison Electric Institute's "Large Load Projects and Tariffs" (September 2026) member-company summary and public regulatory filings. Confirm current tariff terms directly with NorthWestern Energy and the relevant state public utility commission before relying on any figure for a capital decision.

Weighing Montana against another state or a Canadian province with a different rate and interconnection picture entirely? Run both sides of the comparison through our licensed AI data center cost configurator — it applies each jurisdiction's actual power rate, tax treatment and large-load tariff rules to the same seven build configurations.

Curious what a working small-scale operation actually looks like day to day rather than a filed tariff docket? Our own crypto data center in British Columbia runs on a very different rate structure than NorthWestern Energy’s proposed tariff, but the same siting logic applies.

Named data center projects underway in Montana

Named Projects Already Underway: NorthWestern Energy's Large New Load Tariff: What It Means for AI Data Center Siting in Montana

Model This State on Your Own Site

Every figure above comes from the same power-cost and tariff dataset behind the SCR AI Build Configurator — a licensed, embeddable widget that models seven data center build configurations against all nine Canadian provinces and all 50 US states plus DC, returning capital expenditure by line item, energy cost, revenue by commercial structure, EBITDA and payback.

Licence	Price (CAD)	Who it suits
Standard	$4,000 / domain / year	Advisors who need three lease-model configurations and a clipboard summary
Pro	$10,000 / domain / year	Consultants who send CSV deliverables to clients and want all seven configurations
Enterprise	From $25,000 / year, up to 3 domains	Developers and EPC firms who want the model on their own cost basis with attribution removed

Not ready for an annual licence? A one-time Site Screening Report ($950, one site) runs the same model for a single build without embedding anything.

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Model a Montana data center build in the SCR AI Build Configurator: CapEx, power cost, EBITDA and payback

Model This State on Your Own Site: NorthWestern Energy's Large New Load Tariff: What It Means for AI Data Center Siting in Montana

Compare Montana With Nearby States

Large-load rules change sharply at state lines. See how the neighbouring utilities handle data center and high-density loads before you shortlist a site.

North Dakota

MDU high density (10 MW)

Wyoming

Black Hills LPCS

Idaho

Idaho Power Schedule 20

South Dakota

South Dakota SB 135

All 50 State Tariffs Data Center Cost Calculator AI Build Configurations

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NorthWestern Energy's Large New Load Tariff?

Why did NorthWestern Energy introduce this large-load structure?

To ensure the cost of new generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure built to serve very large customers, chiefly hyperscale data centers, is paid for by those customers rather than spread across the general rate base of residential and small commercial ratepayers.

What large data center projects are already active in Montana?

Montana is already hosting a 1,000 MW Quantica Infrastructure data center project (500 MW in an initial phase beginning as early as 2026) and a 150 MW Atlas Power Group project in Butte.

Does this tariff replace Montana's standard commercial and industrial rates?

No. NorthWestern Energy's Large New Load Tariff sits above NorthWestern Energy's standard commercial and industrial rate schedules and applies specifically to customers that meet or exceed the large-load threshold described above. Smaller commercial and industrial loads continue to be billed under existing rate schedules.

How can I model a Montana data center build against this tariff and other states?

The SCR AI Build Configurator applies Montana's power cost, tax treatment and large-load tariff rules alongside all other US states and Canadian provinces, so a Montana scenario can be compared line-by-line against any alternative site.