State of Montana Newsroom
Gov. Gianforte, BHE Montana Celebrate Investment in Great Falls
GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte yesterday joined BHE Montana to celebrate the opening of its new Great Falls office and to highlight the importance of unleashing affordable, reliable energy for Montanans.
“Now more than ever before, we must innovate and invest to meet our growing energy needs,” Gov. Gianforte said. “To power our homes, schools, and businesses in our growing communities, we have to embrace our all-of-the-above approach and celebrate investments like this that help meet demand.”
Gov. Gianforte cutting the ribbon cutting at the opening of the BHE Montana Great Falls Office
Established in 2022, BHE Montana is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy that supplies energy to its customers in Montana and across the region. The company’s energy portfolio includes wind and solar battery technology. The new Great Falls office will support customer service, operations, and regional engagement as the company expands across the state.
“We think Montana has so much potential, in terms of electricity, power production, natural gas, it is a strategic place for us to be. Part of what makes this possible is good policies, reducing red tape, and that Montana is open for business,” said Ed Rihm, CEO of BHE Montana.
Highlighting the history of energy production in Montana and the growing demand for energy, the governor added, “Not long ago, Great Falls was the hub that produced the electricity needed to fuel the copper boom and made Montana an economic powerhouse in the early 20th century.”
He continued, “Today, we demand the same – this time, we need the energy to drive Montana's 21st century economy to power advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, mining, and our national defense industry.”
According to a report from the Western Electricity Coordinating Council, the demand for electricity in the region is projected to grow by 20 percent in the next ten years. The same report projected a 9 percent increase in demand only two years ago.
Since taking office, the governor has embraced an “all-of the-above” approach to energy to diversify Montana’s energy resources to support the expansion of energy production. Last year, Gov. Gianforte launched an energy task force and tasked its members with providing recommendations and strategies for Montana to unleash American-made energy.
The bipartisan task force meets regularly and will provide recommendations and strategies in a written report to the Governor in September 2026.
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