- Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) will be placed at the new MDOT location. It will primarily be used to temporarily power the Essex community during certain outage situations. Secondarily, it will lower Flathead Electric’s demand charge by discharging during peak times while charging during low-use hours.
- Vegetation management of the entire Essex feeder from the West Glacier substation to just past Essex, utilizing satellite imagery to locate and remove hazardous trees.
- The Department of Energy will pay 66.5% ($2,611,779) of the $3,987,448 project. FEC will pay the remaining 34.5% or $1,375,670.
This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office, Award Number DE-GD0000885.
Project Information
- Vegetation management will occur along the entire Essex Feeder, from the substation to the end of the line.
- The BESS will be placed at the new MDOT location at 14650 US HWY 2 E, just north of Branch Rd near Essex.

- Officially kicked off 09/2024
- Will last until 09/2029
- Vegetation management and construction will be completed well before that. The consortium project and community benefits plan will last all five years.
Grid Update Report
Consortium Member Information
- Flathead Electric Cooperative (FEC) provides safe, reliable, affordable power to …
- FEC is a member of a consortium of 38 electric co-ops and other rural utilities selected to receive federal funding through the Wildfire Assessment and Resilience for Networks project (WARN). WARN projects will modernize and strengthen our nation’s electric grid, protecting customers’ access to electricity during wildfires and mitigating the risk of wildfires due to our nation’s aging transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Project Description
- FEC has proposed to place a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) near the end of a long radial feeder. The BESS will primarily provide backup power to the meters in Essex during certain outage situations, potentially keeping the lights on until FEC crews can locate and repair the fault.
- A secondary use for the BESS will be to lower Flathead Electric’s demand charge by discharging energy during peak times while charging during low-use hours.
- In addition to the BESS, FEC will perform a complete system trim on its Essex distribution feeder. Satellite imagery will aid this process, helping the Co-op identify potentially hazardous trees that could fall and contact power lines.
Benefits
- The project aims to lower the frequency and duration of outages along Flathead Electric’s Essex feeder. This will be done by lowering the power line to tree contacts with the vegetation management plan and using the BESS to back up power in the local Essex area.
- Lowering the potential for tree-to-power line contacts will also lower the risk of potentially devastating wildfires.
- Every member of the Co-op will benefit by using the BESS to lower system demand, saving the Co-op on their monthly power bill.
Timeline
- The WARN project will last five years after the official kick-off in September 2024.
- Permitting: FEC has applied with the Flathead National Forest to place the BESS on the permitted MDOT land and expects to have an answer soon.
- Construction: FEC will work with an engineering, procurement, and construction contractor to design and install the BESS. Timetables will vary depending on the availability of some components, which will all be subject to strict Build America Buy America restrictions.
Coming soon:
- Copy of Draft (provided by NRECA)
- Summary information
- Goals of Community Benefits Plan
To inform the community about the project, reasons behind the project, project goals, and how the project will be measured moving forward.
Coming soon:
- CPT member names
- Meeting information, agenda, and notes
Contacts for More Information
General point of contact

Ashley Keltner
Distributed Energy Supervisor
Community Benefits Plan contact
