By next year, the gas will be used to drive a 1.6-megawatt generator hooked up to the Flathead Electric Co-op's distribution system. The generator will produce enough power for 900 homes.

Ross Holter is director of energy services for the co-op. He says the project is financed by $3.5 million in federal clean renewable energy bonds, and should pay for itself in about 15 years.

The Flathead Electric Cooperative is the second-largest electric utility in Montana, with 47,000 customers in the Flathead Valley and Libby.