DILLON-SALMON
SubstationMontana · VIGILANTE ELECTRIC COOP, INC
At a glance
DILLON-SALMON is an electric transmission substation in Montana, on VIGILANTE ELECTRIC COOP, INC's transmission network. It is classified as sub-transmission (115 kv) and connects 7 transmission lines. Substation proximity is one of the strongest speed-to-power signals for siting a datacenter — interconnection distance to an energized, high-voltage bus is often the binding constraint on time-to-energization.
Voltage & classification
Ownership
Connected transmission lines
Lines terminating at or passing through this substation, by HIFLD line ID, highest voltage first.
| Line ID | Voltage | Owner | Status | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #202778 | 115 kV | VIGILANTE ELECTRIC COOP, INC | — | 63.8 mi |
| #202350 | 115 kV | NORTHWESTERN ENERGY LLC - (MT) | — | 41.3 mi |
| #202349 | 115 kV | NORTHWESTERN ENERGY LLC - (MT) | — | 37.6 mi |
| #202780 | 115 kV | VIGILANTE ELECTRIC COOP, INC | — | 5.7 mi |
| #202783 | 69 kV | VIGILANTE ELECTRIC COOP, INC | — | 5.5 mi |
| #202351 | 69 kV | IDAHO POWER CO | — | 15.2 mi |
| #202781 | 69 kV | VIGILANTE ELECTRIC COOP, INC | — | 0.0 mi |
Nearby datacenter candidate sites
Scored candidate sites within roughly 25 miles of DILLON-SALMON, ranked by DC Readiness. Sites this close to an energized substation carry a strong speed-to-power advantage.
| Site | Type | State | County | Voltage | Capacity | Queue wait | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN204472 | Substation-Adjacent | MT | Silver Bow County | 115 kV | 100 MW | 1.1 yrs | 58.5 |
| UNKNOWN205102 | Substation-Adjacent | MT | Beaverhead County | 115 kV | 100 MW | 1.1 yrs | 57.5 |
| DILLON-SALMON | Substation-Adjacent | MT | Beaverhead County | 115 kV | 100 MW | 1.1 yrs | 57.1 |
| POINT OF ROCKS | Substation-Adjacent | MT | Madison County | 69 kV | 50 MW | 1.1 yrs | 56.0 |
| UNKNOWN204585 | Substation-Adjacent | MT | Beaverhead County | 69 kV | 50 MW | 1.1 yrs | 55.3 |
| UNKNOWN204584 | Substation-Adjacent | MT | Beaverhead County | 69 kV | 50 MW | 1.1 yrs | 55.3 |
| UNKNOWN205606 | Substation-Adjacent | MT | Beaverhead County | 69 kV | 50 MW | 1.1 yrs | 55.1 |
| PETERSON FLATS | Substation-Adjacent | MT | Beaverhead County | 69 kV | 50 MW | 1.1 yrs | 54.9 |
How does DILLON-SALMON compare with other substations in Montana?
Montana has 1,211 substation records in HIFLD, of which 149 carry a station name; the rest are unnamed tap points, risers and line ends. 34 named substations in the state are in DILLON-SALMON's 115–229 kV band (23% of named stations). 50 sit in a higher band. 5 named substations in Montana operate at 345 kV or above. The highest voltage recorded in the state is 500 kV, and the state median is 115 kV.
Who owns the transmission lines at DILLON-SALMON?
The 7 connected lines listed above are owned by VIGILANTE ELECTRIC COOP, INC, NORTHWESTERN ENERGY LLC - (MT), IDAHO POWER CO. Line voltages range from 69 kV to 115 kV. Their combined recorded length is about 169.3 miles.
How do candidate sites near DILLON-SALMON score?
The 8 highest-scoring candidate sites within about 25 miles range from 55 to 59 on the 0–100 DC Readiness scale. They fall in Silver Bow County, Beaverhead County, Madison County. The Montana average across 2,542 scored sites is 54.3. 815 of those Montana sites are classed as substation sites (candidate locations generated at an existing substation).
Frequently asked questions
What voltage is DILLON-SALMON substation?
DILLON-SALMON has a maximum voltage of 115 kV and a minimum of 69 kV. That places it in the 115–229 kV band. The median named US substation in this dataset is 115 kV, so DILLON-SALMON is at the national midpoint.
How many transmission lines connect to DILLON-SALMON substation?
7 transmission lines terminate at or pass through DILLON-SALMON in the HIFLD line data. The connected lines listed here run at 115 kV, 69 kV. Together the listed lines cover about 169.3 miles.
Who owns DILLON-SALMON substation?
HIFLD does not publish substation owners directly. Most of the transmission lines that end at DILLON-SALMON belong to VIGILANTE ELECTRIC COOP, INC, and others to NORTHWESTERN ENERGY LLC - (MT), IDAHO POWER CO. GridCensus derives this from the line data, so confirm ownership with the utility for anything contractual.
Where is DILLON-SALMON substation located?
DILLON-SALMON is in Montana at 45.2361, -112.7424. The datacenter candidate sites closest to it are in Silver Bow County, Beaverhead County, Madison County.
Are there datacenter candidate sites near DILLON-SALMON substation?
GridCensus lists at least 8 scored candidate sites within roughly 25 miles of DILLON-SALMON. The highest-scoring is UNKNOWN204472 at 59/100. Across Montana, the average DC Readiness score is 54.3.
Other 115 kV substations in Montana
- COLUMBIA FALLS· 7 lines
- MISSOULA· 7 lines
- HAMILTON· 5 lines
- BIG TIMBER AUTO· 4 lines
- CONRAD AUTO· 4 lines
- KALISPELL· 4 lines
- SHELBY· 4 lines
- TRIDENT· 4 lines
- All named substations in Montana· 149 stations
- Datacenter candidate sites in Montana· 2,542 sites
- Brownfield and retired plant sites in Montana
- Substations by state
About this data
Source: HIFLD Electric Substations and Transmission Lines (U.S. Department of Homeland Security), as published June 29, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: GridCensus, “DILLON-SALMON substation, Montana”, https://gridcensus.com/substations/montana/dillon-salmon-6256a391 (data as of June 29, 2026).
Dataset updated . Screening estimates derived from public data sources.
Substation attributes are derived from public HIFLD / EIA infrastructure data and may lag real-world upgrades or retirements. Voltage and connected-line counts are screening figures — confirm available capacity and interconnection terms directly with the operating utility and ISO.
Go deeper than the public screen
Every site and score for DILLON-SALMON substation, Montana is free to browse. Pro adds Watchtower on 25 sites, alerts when new candidate sites, datacenters or interconnection-queue requests appear in your markets, score and capacity history, and CSV export. Enterprise adds team seats, weekly data files for all 147,272 sites, the REST API and an MCP server for AI tools.