Puget Sound Energy Starts Construction on 130 MW Battle Butte Solar Farm

Rapelje, Montana will soon host Puget Sound Energy's latest renewable build: the Battle Butte Solar Project, a 130 MW utility-scale installation that the Bellevue, Washington-based utility has formally broken ground on.

A project rooted in an existing Montana partnership

The company positions the facility as a major step toward compliance with Washington's Clean Energy Transformation Act, the state law driving its clean energy procurement. Battle Butte is forecast to produce enough electricity to serve roughly 20,000 homes annually.

Its location was chosen in part because it sits near PSE's Beaver Creek wind facility in Stillwater County, allowing the project to take advantage of transmission infrastructure already in place.

The site itself spans 1,400 acres of flat, open ranch land in the high plains near Rapelje, with PSE holding full site control. Before groundbreaking, the company held an open house in Rapelje at the end of January to share project details and respond to community questions.

Jobs, taxes and a mid-2028 finish date

Construction is scheduled to begin this fall, with completion targeted for mid-2028. PSE estimates the build will employ approximately 250 skilled workers, and a small permanent on-site staff will be needed once the facility is operating. Beyond direct employment, the company expects project spending, impact fees, and property taxes to deliver benefits and services to the local community and the surrounding region.

Craig Pospisil, PSE's Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, described the project as a critical component of the company's clean energy strategy, saying it builds on relationships formed in Stillwater County during the Beaver Creek Wind development and positions PSE to meet customers' growing demand for clean energy.

Stillwater County sees economic upside

Local leadership has voiced support for the development. Stillwater County Commissioner Roger Webb said the county anticipates construction jobs, tax revenue, and new economic activity from Battle Butte, adding another piece to Montana's all-of-the-above energy portfolio. Webb noted that across both the Beaver Creek and Battle Butte developments, PSE has demonstrated a commitment to working with the county and investing in Montana as a good neighbor, and said the county looks forward to an ongoing partnership.

Decades of investment in Montana energy

Battle Butte extends a Montana presence that dates back to the 1970s. PSE recently completed the 248 MW Beaver Creek Wind Project and maintains power purchase agreements with Energy Keepers, Inc., the tribally owned corporation of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, for hydroelectric power.

The utility also holds an agreement with NextEra for output from Clearwater Wind, Montana's largest wind farm, located in Rosebud, Custer, and Garfield Counties, and a long-term contract with Clearway Energy Group for wind from the Haymaker Wind Farm in Wheatland and Meagher Counties.

Coal exit and a growing clean portfolio

The solar project joins an already substantial portfolio shift. PSE eliminated coal from its energy mix at the end of 2025 and, since 2019, the year the Clean Energy Transformation Act passed, has added 22 long-term clean energy resources totaling more than 4,000 MW.

The company describes its current trajectory as the most significant transformation in its history, undertaken to meet what it calls some of the nation's most ambitious clean energy laws while maintaining safe, reliable service. PSE is Washington's largest utility, serving customers across 10 counties with approximately 1.2 million electric customers and 900,000 natural gas customers.