Data centers in Montana: 4 projects mapped

4 projects tracked

1 proposed or being built

3 stopped or paused

1,000 MW reported

1 moratorium or ban in effect

Imagery: Esri, Maxar

Tracked projectStopped or pausedBigger dot, more power4 sites shown

Montana's one active data center project is Quantica Infrastructure's Big Sky Campus on nearly 8 square miles outside Broadview, about 30 miles north of Billings in Yellowstone County. It is planned for up to 1,000 megawatts of power, and in early September crews began building access roads and a well. Other proposals have fallen away: Ardent's Project Cardinal, planned for up to 600 megawatts, in Great Falls, a project near Butte and a data center at the Bonner Mill Industrial Park east of Missoula.

Organizer Kassi Solberg gathered more than 12,000 signatures for a ballot measure requiring two-thirds voter approval for any new data center, but the county sued her and a district judge upheld the county's decision to throw it out in August. The county attorney has warned commissioners that a pause would bring a lawsuit. Quantica says it will draw up to 20,000 gallons of water a day once running, from the deep Madison Aquifer rather than the one Broadview's homes use.

Missoula County commissioners voted unanimously on July 9 for a pause of up to a year on new or expanded data centers outside the city of Missoula; all 30 people who spoke supported it. "The voice of opposition is loud while supporters of data centers are nearly non-existent," resident Paul Barmore said. On the Fort Peck Reservation, the tribal executive board voted in August to ban talks with data center developers after three approached it.

In Butte-Silver Bow, a similar voter-approval measure missed a signature deadline after election officials gave its backers the wrong date. On September 22 the Montana Supreme Court ordered the county not to keep it off the November ballot while the appeal is decided. Separately, the Public Service Commission is weighing NorthWestern Energy's proposed rates for large new power users, which would require those above 50 megawatts to sign 15-year contracts. The 2027 Legislature convenes January 4.

4 counties with tracked projects

Only places with at least one project have a page.

Where this comes from

The reporting above was written from these. Open one and check it yourself.

Where people here have won

Projects stopped by a vote, pulled by their developer, or blocked in court.

Place	What happened	Date	Size
Bonner, Missoula CountyKrambu	Withdrawn by the developer The landowner pulled his signature from the application after months of resident opposition, and the county said the project will not move forward.	Jul 6, 2026	7 MW to start, up to 100 MW

Moratoriums and bans in effect

Places in Montana that have paused or banned new data centers.

Place	Type	Started	Ends
Fort Peck ReservationTribal nation	Ban	Aug 20, 2026	No end date	Record off site ↗

Zoning limits on data centers

Rules short of a pause: setbacks, noise caps, permit requirements and district limits.

Place	Type	Started	Ends
Missoula County	Zoning limits	Jul 9, 2026	Jul 8, 2027	Record off site ↗

Every project above is drawn from public records, filings and local reporting. Each row links to what it is based on. Statuses change, so check the source date before you rely on one. Found something wrong? Write to [email protected] and it gets fixed.