Municipal · Tennessee · EIA 3855

Columbia Power System - (TN)

Municipal · Tennessee · 36K customers. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's EIA Form 861, reliability for 2023 shows SAIDI 198 minutes/customer.

Reliability detail ↓ Tennessee utilities

Reliability verdict

Columbia Power System - (TN) shows near-benchmark chronic reliability in 2023: 177 minutes SAIDI excluding major events across 36K customers.

198 min
SAIDI 2023
2.35
SAIFI 2023
177 min
SAIDI ex-MED
36K
Customers

Chronic reliability judged on SAIDI excluding major event days when reported (IEEE 1366). Source: EIA Form 861 · August 2026.

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Signature read: mid-cohort SAIDI between the 96 and 258 minute tercile cuts.

What mid-pack Columbia Power System - (TN) filings show

Columbia Power System - (TN) is a municipally-owned utility operating in Tennessee under EIA identifier 3855. It reports service to approximately 35,567 customer accounts and generated about $0.08 billion in annual electric revenue, with a service footprint spanning 2 ZIP codes. As a municipal utility, it is typically governed by a local board or city council and is exempt from federal income tax.

In 2023, the average Columbia Power System - (TN) customer experienced 197.8 minutes of power interruptions, a metric called SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index). That lands within the usual 120–180 minute national benchmark band, roughly on par with typical U.S. distribution-utility performance. SAIFI, the average number of outage events per customer, was 2.35 for the same period, so customers statistically faced roughly 2 distinct interruptions that year. Excluding major event days (hurricanes, ice storms), SAIDI drops to 177.0 minutes, the gap between that figure and the headline 197.8 reveals how much weather, not day-to-day infrastructure, drove outages.

With 4 consecutive years of EIA data (2020–2023), Columbia Power System - (TN)'s reliability record can be judged on trend rather than one isolated year. SAIDI dropped from 988.6 to 197.8 minutes across that span, a direction regulators and prospective customers tend to watch closely.

F
Reliability Score
30/100
Columbia Power System - (TN) · 3 of 3 dimensions reported

Based on this utility's own EIA Form 861 reliability record -- baseline (major-event- excluded) outage duration, total outage duration, and outage frequency -- each benchmarked against every reporting utility nationwide. Not a measure of electricity rates or customer service, which this portal does not track.

Baseline Reliability F 177.0 min/yr
SAIDI excluding major-event days — day-to-day grid performance
Total Outage Duration D 197.8 min/yr
SAIDI including storms and major events — the full-year experience
Outage Frequency F 2.35/yr
SAIFI — average number of interruptions per customer per year
SAIDI vs. national mean (341 min) 26.4%

198 min/year per customer

Columbia Power System - (TN) SAIDI

Minutes without power per year (2023)

198 SAIDI198 SAIDINat. avg 341341SAIDI198SAIDI

Excellent

SAIDI by year (2020-2023)

Minutes per customer-year · EIA Form 861

Year-by-year SAIDI for Columbia Power System - (TN) from the same EIA filings as the table below. Lower is better; major-event years can spike the headline figure.

Source: U.S. EIA Form 861 As of August 2026

Columbia Power System - (TN) SAIDI trend

0 200 400 600 800 1000 2020 2021 2022 2023 988.6 97.5 478.8 197.8
Year-by-year SAIDI from the same EIA filings as the table below. Lower is better; major-event years can spike the headline figure.

Columbia Power System - (TN) vs the nationwide SAIDI distribution

Where this utility's headline SAIDI sits among every EIA Form 861 utility with a reported figure

198 Around the middle fewer outage minutes than 43% of 911 utilities

Utilities nationwide, banded by latest reported SAIDI (minutes)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more utilities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. EIA Form 861 reliability filings · August 2026

Price vs. reliability

Where Columbia Power System - (TN) sits on price vs. reliability

Among the 781 U.S. utilities large enough to report both revenue per customer and a recent outage record, Columbia Power System - (TN) charges more per customer than 37% of them, and is more reliable (lower SAIDI) than 47% of them, placing it in the quadrant where it pays less and is less reliable. Revenue per customer and outage minutes are independent figures: paying more does not guarantee fewer outages.

Columbia Power System - (TN) vs. a 40-utility national peer sample, price percentile vs. reliability percentile. Scatter plot of 41 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 050100150 050100150 Best valuePays for itCheap + riskyWorst deal Price percentile Reliability percentile Point, Price percentile: 0 · Reliability percentile: 27Point, Price percentile: 3 · Reliability percentile: 37Point, Price percentile: 5 · Reliability percentile: 30Point, Price percentile: 8 · Reliability percentile: 77Point, Price percentile: 10 · Reliability percentile: 40Point, Price percentile: 13 · Reliability percentile: 90Point, Price percentile: 15 · Reliability percentile: 15Point, Price percentile: 18 · Reliability percentile: 22Point, Price percentile: 20 · Reliability percentile: 17Point, Price percentile: 23 · Reliability percentile: 75Point, Price percentile: 25 · Reliability percentile: 10Point, Price percentile: 28 · Reliability percentile: 47Point, Price percentile: 30 · Reliability percentile: 57Point, Price percentile: 33 · Reliability percentile: 55Point, Price percentile: 35 · Reliability percentile: 7Point, Price percentile: 38 · Reliability percentile: 2Point, Price percentile: 43 · Reliability percentile: 67Point, Price percentile: 45 · Reliability percentile: 45Point, Price percentile: 48 · Reliability percentile: 0Point, Price percentile: 50 · Reliability percentile: 12Point, Price percentile: 53 · Reliability percentile: 80Point, Price percentile: 55 · Reliability percentile: 85Point, Price percentile: 57 · Reliability percentile: 92Point, Price percentile: 60 · Reliability percentile: 72Point, Price percentile: 63 · Reliability percentile: 5Point, Price percentile: 65 · Reliability percentile: 65Point, Price percentile: 68 · Reliability percentile: 97Point, Price percentile: 70 · Reliability percentile: 70Point, Price percentile: 73 · Reliability percentile: 50Point, Price percentile: 75 · Reliability percentile: 43Point, Price percentile: 78 · Reliability percentile: 95Point, Price percentile: 80 · Reliability percentile: 20Point, Price percentile: 83 · Reliability percentile: 100Point, Price percentile: 85 · Reliability percentile: 32Point, Price percentile: 88 · Reliability percentile: 25Point, Price percentile: 90 · Reliability percentile: 82Point, Price percentile: 93 · Reliability percentile: 60Point, Price percentile: 95 · Reliability percentile: 87Point, Price percentile: 98 · Reliability percentile: 62Point, Price percentile: 100 · Reliability percentile: 52Columbia Power System - (TN), Price percentile: 37 · Reliability percentile: 47
Columbia Power System - (TN) vs. a 40-utility national peer sample, price percentile vs. reliability percentile.

Revenue per customer: $2,328/year · Latest SAIDI: 197.8 minutes/year.

SAIDI 2023 breakdown: 197.8 minutes

Reliability Trend (2020–2023)

Year SAIDI (min) SAIDI nMED SAIFI Customers
2020 988.6 875.4 2.848 31,769
2021 97.5 73.9 2.778 32,897
2022 478.8 331.0 4.849 36,368
2023 197.8 177.0 2.348 35,567

SAIDI nMED = SAIDI without major event days. Source: EIA Form 861.

Service Area

Columbia Power System - (TN) serves 2 ZIP codes in Tennessee.

3840138402

Frequently Asked Questions

How reliable is Columbia Power System - (TN)?

Columbia Power System - (TN) had a SAIDI of 197.8 minutes in 2023. Leaving aside major weather events, that figure sits close to the national average.

What type of utility is Columbia Power System - (TN)?

Columbia Power System - (TN) is classified as a Municipal serving Tennessee.

How many customers does Columbia Power System - (TN) serve?

Columbia Power System - (TN) serves approximately 35,567 customers in Tennessee.

How has Columbia Power System - (TN)'s reliability changed over time?

Columbia Power System - (TN) 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
Municipal
State
Tennessee
Customers
35,567
Annual Revenue
$0.08B
EIA ID
3855

Explore

Utilities with similar EIA profiles

Two cross-state peer sets for Columbia Power System - (TN). Same-state SAIDI neighbors stay in Read-with below; these neighborhoods are nearest other-state utilities with at least 10,000 reported customers.

Similar customer count

Nearest utilities by Form 861 customers (36K here), outside Tennessee.

Midwest Energy Cooperative - (MI) 36K · MI Peninsula Light Company 35K · WA Kauai Island Utility Cooperative 35K · HI South Central Indiana REMC 35K · IN

Similar chronic SAIDI

Nearest utilities by latest SAIDI minutes (197.8 here), outside Tennessee, excluding the customer-peer set.

Evergy Kansas Central, Inc 197.9 min · KS GreyStone Power Corporation 196.8 min · GA Union Rural Electric Coop, Inc 196.8 min · OH Los Angeles Department of Water & Power 198.8 min · CA

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 · methodology.