Parrot Mine Shop lands $45,000 federal grant to tap the hot water below Butte, Montana

Long ago, Butte’s mine shafts were gateways to riches deep within the earth.

These days, the mine shafts lead to a different kind of wealth: hot water.

The Parrot Mine Shop, 244 Anaconda Road, will use a $45,100 federal grant to tap that water as a heat source, said Pat Sampson, a partner in the shop complex’s ownership.

The complex, a cluster of old shop buildings that now house three private businesses, received the Renewable Energy Grant Thursday in Butte.

“It will reduce the energy consumption of this facility by 81 percent,” said Tim Ryan, state director of the USDA Rural Development Program, which administers the grants. “In this day of high energy costs, that is a significant benefit.” And the Parrot Mine Shop makes Butte the first Montana city to cash in on the renewable energy grants, Ryan said.

“Only eight other states got them” this year, he said. “Montana is very competitive.” The shop complex is home to Pioneer Technical, Butte Compost and Just-in Case Fire Ltd., which occupy three buildings.

Those buildings are currently heated with natural gas to the tune of $65,000 a year at current rates, Sampson said.

The complex will use the grant mainly for heat exchangers that will process water 800 feet down the Kelley Mine shaft.

By Erin Nicholes of The Montana Standard

Full Story: http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2005/10/28/newsbutte/hjjeijhbjbhegf.txt