From July 2025 through June 2026, almost two-thirds of Montana’s electricity consumption came from low-carbon sources, while roughly 36% came from fossil fuels. Hydropower supplied about 39% and wind about 23%, making them the main sources of clean electricity. Solar contributed nearly 2%, including about 1% from utility-scale installations. Among fossil sources, coal accounted for about 30% of electricity consumption, gas for 4%, and oil for around 1.5%. Montana therefore has a strong low-carbon foundation, but coal still supplies a substantial share of its electricity.

Is Electricity Growing in Montana?

Montana’s electricity consumption is growing on a per-person basis. The latest 2026 figure reached about 25,400 kWh per person, exceeding the previous record of roughly 24,800 kWh in 2025 by 555 kWh, or just over 2%. Low-carbon electricity generation grew even faster, reaching about 16,100 kWh per person—up 1,718 kWh, or approximately 12%, from its previous record in 2025. This record clean electricity output is encouraging progress toward supplying more electricity for electrification and growing demand, including AI.

Suggestions

Montana can build on its established wind industry while expanding solar and considering nuclear generation. Nearby examples show the potential: wind supplies more than half of electricity generation in the US state of South Dakota and about 36% in the US state of North Dakota, compared with Montana’s 23%. For solar, Montana could learn from the US states of Utah and Colorado, where solar provides about 20% and 14% of electricity generation, respectively. Nuclear offers another route to substantial clean electricity production: it supplies nearly half of generation in the US state of Illinois and about two-thirds in France. Drawing lessons from these regions could help Montana increase low-carbon electricity supply and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, whose use contributes to climate change and air pollution.

History

The supplied history shows sustained gains in Montana’s low-carbon electricity generation from 2024 through 2026. Wind led the expansion in 2024, adding 1.3 TWh, alongside a 0.4 TWh increase in hydropower. Both continued growing in 2025, when hydropower added 0.6 TWh and wind added 0.4 TWh. Growth strengthened in 2026, with hydropower increasing by 1.5 TWh and wind by another 0.5 TWh. Across these three years, the reported increases totalled 2.5 TWh for hydropower and 2.2 TWh for wind, while low-carbon biofuel generation remained unchanged.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade

* 12M = Last 12 months (Jul 2025 – Jun 2026) — a rolling 12-month period, not a calendar year.