PPL Montana will host a public open house from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday (8/29) at its historic Black Eagle hydroelectric plant about two miles from Great Falls.
“We’re pleased to open Black Eagle to give our neighbors an opportunity to see how we generate clean, renewable energy at a hydroelectric plant, and how PPL Montana also supports outdoor recreation and conserves natural resources,” said David Hoffman, director of External Affairs for PPL Montana. “We’re planning activities and displays that we hope will be of interest for people of all ages.
“The dam is part of the Great Falls Portage National Historic Landmark, which commemorates Lewis and Clark’s travel around the five falls of the Missouri River in the summer of 1805,” Hoffman said. “Black Eagle was originally built in 1891, less than 100 years after the explorers witnessed the river’s power.”
PPL Montana employees will provide tours of the plant every hour and describe Black Eagle’s operations and history. A piece of floating equipment used for maintenance, called the Mariner, will also be on display. Refreshments will be provided in the public park near the plant.
“We also encourage visitors to stop by the Lewis and Clark Historic Trail Interpretive Center just downstream from the dam, and Giant Springs Heritage State Park, site of one of the largest freshwater springs in the world,” Hoffman said. “PPL Montana employees are proud to be part of this special area, which is easily accessed from Great Falls.”
From Great Falls, if coming from the south, take 15th Street North, cross the bridge and turn right on North River Road. Follow North River Road to Black Eagle Dam. If coming from the north side of river, take Highway 87 and turn left on North River Road to Black Eagle Dam. There is a public parking area near the dam.
For more information, call 406-672-2568 or 406-237-6914.
Black Eagle is one of five dams that PPL Montana operates in the Great Falls area.
The others are Rainbow, Cochrane, Ryan and Morony — all downstream within 10 miles of Black Eagle.
PPL Montana provides safe, reliable energy from coal-fired power plants at Colstrip and Billings, as well as 11 hydroelectric plants along West Rosebud Creek and the Missouri, Madison, Clark Fork and Flathead rivers. It has a combined generating capacity of more than 1,200 megawatts and has offices in Great Falls, Billings, Butte and Helena. PPL Montana and its 500 employees are dedicated to Montana and its communities, supporting educational, environmental and economic development programs across the state. PPL EnergyPlus operates a trading floor in Butte that markets and sells power for PPL Montana in wholesale and retail energy markets throughout the western United States. PPL Montana and PPL EnergyPlus are subsidiaries of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL).