LIBBY
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 525 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Lincoln County
- Operator
- USACE NORTHWESTERN DIVISION
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1975
- EIA plant ID
- 6172
- Generators
- 5
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 1,891 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 41%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 48.4102, -115.3161
LIBBY, a 525 MW Hydro power plant in Lincoln County, Montana. Operated by USACE NORTHWESTERN DIVISION, commissioned 1975.
How LIBBY compares
With 525 MW of capacity, LIBBY ranks 3rd among the 48 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Montana and 2nd of the 21 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 20% of Montana's operating Hydro capacity and 8.4% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 44th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1975, it is older than 63% of the 46 operating Montana plants with a recorded commissioning year.
EIA-860 lists 5 generators at the site with 525 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 1,891 GWh in 2024 (a 41% capacity factor), down 11% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1975 and 1984.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is LIBBY (230 kV), about 1.2 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 230 kV line owned by BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION, under 0.1 miles away.
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
LIBBY is a 525 MW hydro power plant in Lincoln County, MT, operated by USACE NORTHWESTERN DIVISION, commissioned in 1975. Lincoln County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.4 of 5 at the 10th national percentile. Wildfire is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 96th 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.
Lincoln County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 96th | 4.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 85th | 4.4 of 5 | 0.61 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 69th | 3.7 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Winter weather | Relatively High | 64th | 3.5 of 5 | 36.3 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 48th | 2.9 of 5 | 2.1 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 47th | 2.9 of 5 | 0.03 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 14th | 1.5 of 5 | 20.0 |
| Hail | Very Low | 10th | 1.4 of 5 | 0.18 |
| Strong wind | Very Low | 8th | 1.3 of 5 | 0.13 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.04 |
Perils not assessed in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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.