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In-person · Butte, MTElectrical safety training in Butte, MT
Butte still mines copper and molybdenum within sight of uptown, and it remains home to NorthWestern Energy's biggest Montana workforce. We train the electrical crews who keep the mine, the grid and Butte's new industrial park running, at your facility or in an in-person class we set up in Butte when you ask.
Private employers in Montana are inspected by federal OSHA. Every class is live, on the 2027 edition of NFPA 70E, and taught by a Certified Safety Professional. Montana electrical safety training requirements →
Among the teams we have trained in the last year
Four ways to train your Butte crew
Crews we train in and around Butte: mining, utilities, specialty chemicals, data center construction, environmental remediation, healthcare and education.
What the class covers for Butte crews
The pit falls under MSHA, while shops and contractors off mine property fall under OSHA. We teach one set of shock and arc flash habits that satisfies both.
Shovels, drills and pumps run on portable power that moves with the mine plan. We cover inspection, isolation and testing for absence of voltage on equipment that changes location.
Silane production is a specialty chemical process with its own ignition risks. We cover electrical work in classified areas and why an arc can start more than a burn.
New data halls move from construction to energized equipment quickly. We cover the point where construction rules give way to operating rules and who controls each energized space.
Butte at a glance
Federal OSHA (Billings Area Office); MSHA on mine property
NorthWestern Energy
Montana State Electrical Board, statewide
BTM
Mountain
Montana: what applies to your crews
Enforcement: federal OSHA and MSHA
Montana has no OSHA state plan, so private employers in Butte answer to federal OSHA's Billings Area Office. Montana Resources' mine property is under MSHA. Butte-Silver Bow government employees are covered by the state Safety and Health Bureau rather than OSHA.
Licensing: State Electrical Board
The Montana State Electrical Board licenses journeyman and master electricians and electrical contractors statewide. Holding that license does not, by itself, make a worker qualified for energized work under OSHA or NFPA 70E.
Where NFPA 70E fits
OSHA does not enforce NFPA 70E, and MSHA has its own electrical rules. Butte employers use NFPA 70E to show how they meet OSHA 1910 Subpart S and 1926 Subpart K, and OSHA can cite the General Duty Clause for a recognized hazard.
Butte's electrical work environment
Montana Resources reopened open-pit mining in Butte in 1986 and runs the Continental mine, crushers and a concentrator. The company has produced more than 2.5 billion pounds of copper and 300 million pounds of molybdenum since then, and it moved about 54 million pounds of copper in 2024 with more than 70 million expected in 2025 from a high grade vein. Crushers, concentrator drives and pit power make for heavy industrial electrical work in dust, cold and vibration.
Butte has been a utility town since Montana Power set up headquarters here in 1912. NorthWestern built a $25 million building in uptown in 2014 and had 544 employees in Butte when it announced its merger with Black Hills Corporation in August 2025. The Berkeley Pit, now a Superfund site, sits at the head of the Upper Clark Fork, the largest Superfund site in the country.
The Montana Connections business park west of town is drawing new industry. REC Silicon, which produces silane gas, exercised a right of first refusal in April 2026 on about 600 acres that Sabey Data Centers had under contract for a campus starting at 50 MW. Norwegian battery materials firm Cenate is eyeing nearby land, and Atlas Power has a NorthWestern supply deal for its Butte data center.
Copper, utility operations and the Montana Connections park
These are the Butte operations and projects where electrical crews work today. The industrial park west of town is changing fastest.
| Site | What is there | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Continental mine and concentrator Montana Resources | Open-pit copper and molybdenum mine with crushers and a concentrator, about 400 employees. | Operating |
| NorthWestern Energy Butte office NorthWestern Energy | Uptown office built in 2014, with 544 Butte employees in 2025. | Operating |
| REC Silicon Butte REC Silicon | Silane gas producer that bought about 600 acres of business park land in April 2026. | Operating |
| Atlas Power Butte data center Atlas Power Group | NorthWestern supply agreement for 75 MW starting in 2026, with another 75 MW over three to five years. | Planned |
| Sabey Butte data center Sabey Data Centers | Campus planned at 50 MW rising to 250 MW, on hold after losing its land in April 2026. | Planned |
| Cenate battery materials Cenate | Norwegian firm eyeing land in the park to use silane from REC Silicon. | Planned |
NorthWestern Energy's home base
NorthWestern Energy serves Butte and runs a large share of its Montana work from here. The company's roots trace to Montana Power, which was headquartered in Butte from 1912 until NorthWestern took it over. A spokesperson said after the 2025 merger announcement that she did not expect major changes at the Butte office.
Large new loads are lining up at the Montana Connections park. Atlas Power's agreement calls for 75 MW from NorthWestern in 2026, and Sabey had sought 50 MW in 2027 with room to grow past 250 MW. Every one of those projects needs new substations, switchgear and backup generation, and the local IBEW has signed a project labor agreement with Sabey.
Who we train in Butte and southwest Montana
Mine and mill electricians at Montana Resources and the contractors who support the pit.
NorthWestern Energy substation, metering and plant electricians based in Butte.
Maintenance and instrument crews at REC Silicon's silane plant.
IBEW and contractor crews building and energizing new data halls in the Montana Connections park.
Electrical crews supporting cleanup work at the Berkeley Pit and Upper Clark Fork Superfund sites.
Facilities staff at St. James Hospital and Montana Technological University.
Also serving
Questions from Butte employers
Our mine electricians are under MSHA. Is NFPA 70E training still worth it?
Can you train a data center construction crew before energization?
Which OSHA office covers Butte?
Can our Anaconda and Deer Lodge staff join a Butte class?
Does finishing the class make someone a qualified electrical worker?
What the people in the room say
“Virtual can never replace hands-on, but the engagement from our instructor and the class made it feel more engaging than some in-person courses I've taken.”
“Probably one of the most useful safety courses I've ever attended. Rick genuinely cares about people and their well-being.”
“This is the 2nd arc flash training course I've taken and the class was amazing. I feel like I'm leaving the training safer than before I took this class.”
Train your Butte crew on the 2027 edition.
Onsite within a few days, or private live virtual as soon as tomorrow. Need it fast? Call (813) 725-0999.