BHE Montana joins the Western Energy Imbalance Market

FOLSOM, Calif. – BHE Montana, a Montana-based energy producer, operator and services provider, is now participating in the Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM).

The Montana energy producer and grid operator is dedicated to producing and delivering reliable and affordable energy to customers through a growth portfolio of diverse energy assets.

With its real-time operations center in Great Falls, Mt., BHE Montana is the second generation-only balancing authority committed to participate in the WEIM. It joined the Western Energy Imbalance Market on the same day as two subsidiaries of Black Hills Energy, based in South Dakota and Wyoming. Their addition extends the market’s reach to 24 balancing authorities and 12 Western states.

“The Western Energy Imbalance Market is a proven tool to help bring affordable and reliable energy to Montana and the region. Since 2021, the Western Energy Imbalance Market has saved Montana energy customers over $200 million. We are excited to build on the established track record of this market and contribute to its continued success,” said BHE Montana CEO Ed Rihn. 

Elliot Mainzer, the ISO’s president and CEO, said, “We are excited to welcome another strong partner to the WEIM family. BHE Montana extends the reach of the Western Energy Imbalance Market and its benefits to more electricity customers in the West and continues to strengthen a proven reliability and affordability platform for consumers.”

The WEIM is a real-time electricity market that enables participating entities to buy and sell power close to the time electricity is generated and consumed. Using state-of-the-art technology, the market finds and delivers lowest-cost resources to meet immediate power needs and manages congestion on transmission lines to maintain grid reliability.

Since the market’s launch in 2014, it has generated more than $8.6 billion in cumulative financial savings for participating entities and their customers.

BHE Montana was established in 2022 and is certified by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation to operate as a Balancing Authority, which operates under the name “PowerWatch.” This allows the company to provide customers with comprehensive energy services, including control, distribution, management, real-time monitoring and scheduling of energy resources across North America.

Participating in the real-time market provides BHE Montana with the ability to coordinate and operate its assets and services for the benefit of its customers and to support the continued economic growth of Montana and the greater Rocky Mountain region. Visit the BHE Montana website for more information.