MATL – BHE Canada

Montana Alberta Tie Line (MATL)

The Montana Alberta Tie Line (MATL) is a 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission line connecting the Montana electrical grid at Great Falls, Montana and the Alberta electrical grid at Lethbridge, Alberta.

The line is 345 kilometres long and has a capacity of 300 MW with the potential to further increase the available capacity. Since going into service in 2013, MATL has played an essential role in improving reliability of service for both the Alberta and Montana grids.

BHE Canada owns the Canadian portion and manages the facility’s day-to-day operation, while BHE U.S. Transmission owns the portion of the line in the United States.

The windfarms connected to MATL are owned by BHE Montana.

Key Benefits

Reliable service: As a
bi-directional transmission line, MATL is able to deliver reliable electricity to both Alberta and Montana. Since 2020, the in-service availability of the line has exceeded 97 per cent.

Reduced electricity costs for consumers: As an unregulated investment, the line is fully funded by its owners, so there is no cost to ratepayers for the operation of MATL.