Flathead Electric Cooperative is adding a natural gas facility to its energy repertoire.

The cooperative secured rights to purchase up to 130 megawatts of energy from a combined-cycle natural gas facility currently under development in northern Idaho. The facility is expected to be operational by 2032. 

“Our responsibility is to plan for the future, and this project helps us do exactly that,” said Mark Johnson, chief executive officer and general manager of Flathead Electric Cooperative, in an April 23 statement.  “This is one part of a broader strategy to help ensure we can continue delivering safe and reliable power and provide our members with rate stability in an uncertain energy future.” 

The utility has seen demand skyrocket in recent years, from a peak of about 340 megawatts in 2019 to an all-time record of 442 megawatts in January 2024. The change is driven in large part by the region’s population growth, which resulted in a 1.5% increase in the cooperative’s membership last year alone. 

There are few opportunities to expand the generative capacity of the federally operated dams Flathead Electric Cooperative secures most of its power supply from, so the utility has begun to search for supplementary power options. 

Dillon Tabish, the communications and marketing supervisor for the cooperative, said that in-house evaluations concluded the natural gas facility would provide a cost-effective alternative to the hydroelectric system, especially when demands peak. 

“Unlike wind or solar resources, whose output depends on weather and time of day, this facility is intended to provide firm dispatchable capacity that can be called on when the region needs power most, including during high-demand periods, low-water hydro[electric] years or times when other resources are not producing enough electricity,” he said. 

The project is headed by PNGC Power, an electric generation and transmission cooperative which Flathead Electric Cooperative joined in 2022, and Kindle Energy, a New Jersey-based energy infrastructure development company. Flathead Electric Cooperative is not providing any direct financial support to the facility’s construction. 

Tabish said the rates the cooperative will pay for energy generated by the facility have yet to be determined and that hydroelectric energy produced by Bonneville Power Administration would “remain a very cost-effective foundation” for the power grid. 

“This project is not being evaluated as a replacement for Bonneville Power Administration power,” he said. “Rather, it is being evaluated because Flathead Electric Cooperative needs additional firm capacity to meet future reliability requirements and serve member load growth.” 

“While all power supply resources have costs, planning ahead in this way helps avoid larger and more unpredictable rate increases int he future while ensuring reliable service for our members,” he added. 

The facility is expected to be among the most efficient and lowest-emitting gas-fired facilities in the United States, according to the cooperative, and is expected to have a total generative capacity of 594 megawatts. 

Reporter Hailey Smalley can be reached at 406-758-4433 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.