Laurel outlook., 1946-09-25
COlEMANSPEAKS ON
PLANTS, SERVICES OF
MONTANA POWER co.

Users of electric service are so
accustomed to it that they often do
not realize the enormous amount of
equipment, materials and human
effort which make the service
available, said Frank D. Coleman of
Billings, division manager for Mon
tana Power company, when he
spoke here Tuesday at a meeting of
the Rotary club. He was INTRODUCED
by J.. w. Corwin on behalf of the
program committee.
The power company, n of the
larger utilities of the northwest,
serves the central and western
parts of the state. All it's power
is from hydro-electric plants, which
makes necessary a sufficient and
reliable supply of water. The most
important storage is Hebgen reser-
voir on the Madison river west of
Yellowstone park, with a capacity
of 345 900 acre feet of stored water.
AS released the water travels about
1886 miles in five lays and gener-
ates power at plants. There
are many problems connected with
regulating river flows, requiring
constant supervision by the COM
pany's operating department.
The first plant below Hebgen
reservoir is the Madison river plant,
followed in succession by the Can
yon Ferry plant on the Missouri
river near Helena, Houser lake
plant and the four plants near Great
Falls. The latter are the Black
Eagle falls plant, Rainbow, Ryan
and Morony. The Black Eagle
and Rainbow falls were named by
Lewis and Clark in 1903.
The four Great Falls plants, of
the Ryan is the largest have
capacity of $4,000 kilowatts.
Another important plant is on
the West Rosebud at Mystic lake,
with a storage of 10000 acre feet
and a capacity of 1880 kilowatts.
1t operates on a head of 1,128 feet,
the highest head of any plant in the
area. 1t is a feeder to
the system in the Laurel Billings
area.
On the Pacific slope two import
ant plants have been developed, the
Kerr plant five miles below the
outlet of Flathead lake at Poison
and the Thompson Falls plant 80
below the junction of the
Flathead AMI Missoula rivers. The
Kerr plant on the Flathead reser-
7ation was built under permit from
he federal power commission, which
provides for an annual rental to
he Indians of approximately $780,
100 in cash plus certain power pur-
privileges. Combined capa-
titles of the Thompson Falls and
Kerr plants is $1,000 kilowatts, and
he combined capacity of all Mon
ana Power company plants is 349,-
80 kilowatts or 466,333 horsepow-
r..
The 13 Montana Power company
'lants are in%terconnected by a grid
# high-tension transmission lines
800 miles in length. In a tenn
'orary shutdown at one or two
'lants the service is continued by
he remaining units.
AS a war expedient the principle
f the Interrogation was extended
urther in 1941 by six electric util-
lies operating in Utah, Idaho,
Washington and Oregon. Montana
over company was one of the S
roup, joined the following year by c
other west coast companies, two G
municipal plants and two federal G
at Bonneville and Grand /
oulee. @
By good cooperation between the e
arious systems it is estimated that 7
YER 100000 kilowatts of additional g
for the war effort was made c
valuable in the northwest without c
lie construction of a single new {
plant. All during the war v
Power company supplied g
Il its OWL power requirements and f
a large amount of sur C
Ius power into Utah and Washing a
IN, which went into the power a
Dol. h
Coleman said efficient transmits,
should have a ratio to the dis b
nee transmitted of about 1000 f
olts per mile, or 100000 volts for t
10 miles. Substations at strategic il
step down the voltage for '
dustrial, commercial and house n
Did uses. There are approximately e
IS substations on the system. o
Continued on Page Ten) S