The Montana-Alberta Tie-Line (MATL) power transmission project is a 300-megawatt (MW), 230-kilovolt (KV) electrical transmission line allowing the movement of power between Alberta and Montana.

The 214-mile (345- kilometer) line will tie into the Alberta grid at a new substation located nine miles (15 kilometers) northeast of the city of Lethbridge. The line will run approximately 81 miles (130 kilometers) south to the U.S./Canada border at a point west of the Sweetgrass/Coutts border crossing. From there, it will run a further 133 miles (215 kilometers) south to terminate at NorthWestern Energy’s Great Falls substation which is located just north of Great Falls, Montana.

The project will support ongoing development of a rich wind-powered generation resource and allow much-needed energy to flow in both directions, ensuring more reliable supplies of electricity into the U.S. Northwest and Alberta.

Northern Montana and southern Alberta are home to some of the best wind energy sources in North America. Among all of the United States, Montana is rated number one for wind energy potential.* The MATL line will enable the development of new wind energy projects by linking this renewable and emission-free source of power to consumers across North America.