News Releases

Recent flow restoration plan improvements at PPL Montana’s Morony Dam, approved by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, will enable PPL Montana to restore Missouri River flow more quickly when needed.

These improvements will better protect downstream fisheries and, together with additional enhancements the company is making, advance  public safety.

“The flow restoration enhancements, in conjunction with a new automated control system, will allow us to better respond to generation interruptions by more quickly opening spillgates to stabilize river flow,” said Jeremy Clotfelter, manager-Hydro Operations and Maintenance for PPL Montana. “Improved response time and more stable resultant flows will better protect downstream river habitat and fisheries.”

Clotfelter said the improvements will shorten the time it takes to respond to plant interruptions and to begin opening spillgates from more than seven minutes to two minutes or less. The flow restoration improvements, new warning signage and a river cable marking areas closed to the public will better protect public safety.

By agreement through cooperative discussions, PPL Montana will be installing an overhead river cable to mark the existing Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks public access closure  within 500 feet of the dam. The restrictions will be enforced, and trespassers may be prosecuted. Work to install the new safety signs and warning cable will begin this month.

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 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). For more information, visit www.pplmontana.com.