SAIDI
143 min per year
Mean outage duration per year (2023)
What This Utility Data Tells You
Black Hills Power, Inc. is an investor-owned utility operating in Montana under EIA identifier 19545. It reports service to approximately 73,367 customer accounts and generated about $0.19 billion in annual electric revenue, with a service footprint spanning 33 ZIP codes. As an investor-owned utility, it operates under state public utility commission oversight that reviews rate cases and reliability performance.
In 2023, the average Black Hills Power, Inc. customer experienced 142.9 minutes of power interruptions, a measure known as SAIDI, or System Average Interruption Duration Index. That sits within the 120–180 minute national benchmark range, indicating performance typical of U.S. distribution utilities. The SAIFI figure, which tracks average outage events per customer, came in at 1.40 for the same period, meaning customers statistically saw about 1 distinct interruption that year. Strip out major event days (hurricanes, ice storms) and SAIDI falls to 142.9 minutes; the difference from the headline 142.9 shows how much of the outage total came from weather rather than everyday grid issues.
The EIA dataset includes 4 years of continuous reporting (2020–2023) for Black Hills Power, Inc., which lets you see whether reliability is trending up or down rather than judging from a single snapshot. Over that span, SAIDI rose from 13.4 to 142.9 minutes, possibly reflecting tougher weather years or grid upgrades that have not caught up yet.
SAIFI
1.40 interruptions/yr
Average interruption count (2023)
Customers
73,367
Served in Montana
SAIDI vs. National Average (180 min) 35.7%
143 min/year per customer
Annual minutes without electric service (2023)
Reliability Trend (2020–2023)
| Year | SAIDI (min) | SAIDI nMED | SAIFI | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 13.4 | 8.3 | 0.100 | 44 |
| 2021 | 319.5 | 62.6 | 1.258 | 40 |
| 2022 | 216.8 | 216.8 | 1.677 | 41 |
| 2023 | 142.9 | 142.9 | 1.400 | 30 |
SAIDI nMED = SAIDI without major event days. Source: EIA Form 861.
Service Area
Black Hills Power, Inc. serves 33 ZIP codes in Montana.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How reliable is Black Hills Power, Inc.?
Black Hills Power, Inc. had a SAIDI of 142.9 minutes in 2023. Excluding major storm impacts, this tracks roughly with the national average.
What type of utility is Black Hills Power, Inc.?
Black Hills Power, Inc. is classified as a IOU serving Montana.
How many customers does Black Hills Power, Inc. serve?
Black Hills Power, Inc. serves approximately 73,367 customers in Montana.
How has Black Hills Power, Inc.'s reliability changed over time?
Black Hills Power, Inc. has 4 years of reliability data (2020-2023). This utility's SAIDI has stayed fairly flat over the period. Review the trend table above for year-by-year detail.
Utility Profile
- Type
- IOU
- State
- Montana
- Customers
- 73,367
- Annual Revenue
- $0.19B
- EIA ID
- 19545
Explore
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration Form 861 annual electric power industry survey · ZIP service territory: OpenEI. Disclaimer: informational only, not professional advice. See full disclaimer.
Every figure on PlainUtility is rendered directly from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's Form 861 reliability data, no number is typed in by an editor. This utility's SAIDI/SAIFI figures are rendered directly from EIA Form 861 reliability files. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2020-2023.