COCHRANE
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 60 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Cascade County
- Operator
- PPL MONTANA LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1958
- EIA plant ID
- 2182
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 228 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 43%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 47.5535, -111.1492
COCHRANE, a 60 MW Hydro power plant in Cascade County, Montana. Operated by PPL MONTANA LLC, commissioned 1958.
How COCHRANE compares
With 60 MW of capacity, COCHRANE ranks 18th among the 48 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Montana and 8th of the 21 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 2.3% of Montana's operating Hydro capacity and 1.0% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 248th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1958, it is older than 71% of the 46 operating Montana plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, PPL MONTANA LLC, runs 12 operating plants in Montana totaling 2,868 MW. It shares Cascade County with 6 other operating plants, including MORONY and RYAN.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 60 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 228 GWh in 2024 (a 43% capacity factor), up 3% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is COCHRANE DAM, under 0.1 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 100 kV line owned by NORTHWESTERN ENERGY LLC - (MT), under 0.1 miles away. Another 5 operating power plants totaling 174 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is MORONY (54 MW, Hydro).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
COCHRANE is a 60 MW hydro power plant in Cascade County, MT, operated by PPL MONTANA LLC, commissioned in 1958. Cascade County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.9 of 5 at the 22nd national percentile. Riverine flooding is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 82nd percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a hydro plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Cascade County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 82nd | 4.3 of 5 | 0.75 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 76th | 4.0 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 60th | 3.4 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Winter weather | Very High | 55th | 3.2 of 5 | 45.7 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 39th | 2.6 of 5 | 1.0 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 36th | 2.4 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Ice storm | Very Low | 18th | 1.7 of 5 | 0.01 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 16th | 1.6 of 5 | 25.1 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 16th | 1.6 of 5 | 0.13 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 9th | 1.4 of 5 | 0.70 |
Perils not assessed in Cascade County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Cascade County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.