Cooperative · Montana · EIA 21513
Fergus Electric Coop, Inc
Cooperative · Montana · 6,911 customers. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's EIA Form 861, reliability for 2023 shows SAIDI 391 minutes/customer.
Reliability verdict
Fergus Electric Coop, Inc shows below-average chronic reliability in 2023: 347 minutes SAIDI excluding major events across 6,911 customers.
- 391 min
- SAIDI 2023
- 347 min
- SAIDI ex-MED
- 6,911
- Customers
Chronic reliability judged on SAIDI excluding major event days when reported (IEEE 1366). Source: EIA Form 861 · August 2026.
Signature read: long interruption minutes vs the 911 utility cohort (>258 min tercile cut).
What long-outage Fergus Electric Coop, Inc filings show
Fergus Electric Coop, Inc is a member-owned electric cooperative operating in Montana under EIA identifier 21513. It reports service to approximately 6,911 customer accounts and generated about $0.03 billion in annual electric revenue, with a service footprint spanning 49 ZIP codes. Cooperative ownership means the utility is run for the benefit of the ratepayer-members who elect its board, rather than for shareholder returns, which can shift how rate and investment decisions get made.
In 2023, the average Fergus Electric Coop, Inc customer experienced 390.5 minutes of power interruptions, the industry-standard SAIDI metric (System Average Interruption Duration Index). That is substantially above the 120–180 minute national benchmark, indicating either storm-prone geography, aging infrastructure, or extended restoration windows. Strip out major event days (hurricanes, ice storms) and SAIDI falls to 347.2 minutes; the difference from the headline 390.5 shows how much of the outage total came from weather rather than everyday grid issues.
Fergus Electric Coop, Inc has 4 years of continuous EIA reporting on file (2020–2023), enough to read a real trend rather than a single-year snapshot. SAIDI climbed from 348.0 to 390.5 minutes over that window, a shift that can point to worsening weather exposure or delayed grid modernization.
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.
391 min/year per customer
Power-out minutes per year (2023)
SAIDI by year (2020-2023)
Minutes per customer-year · EIA Form 861
Year-by-year SAIDI for Fergus Electric Coop, Inc from the same EIA filings as the table below. Lower is better; major-event years can spike the headline figure.
Fergus Electric Coop, Inc SAIDI trend
Fergus Electric Coop, Inc vs the nationwide SAIDI distribution
Where this utility's headline SAIDI sits among every EIA Form 861 utility with a reported figure
391 Higher than most fewer outage minutes than 23% 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
SAIDI 2023 breakdown: 390.5 minutes
Reliability Trend (2020–2023)
| Year | SAIDI (min) | SAIDI nMED | SAIFI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 348.0 | 295.0 | - |
| 2021 | 435.2 | 304.1 | - |
| 2022 | 476.5 | 468.0 | - |
| 2023 | 390.5 | 347.2 | - |
SAIDI nMED = SAIDI without major event days. Source: EIA Form 861.
Service Area
Fergus Electric Coop, Inc serves 49 ZIP codes in Montana.
Frequently Asked Questions
How reliable is Fergus Electric Coop, Inc?
Fergus Electric Coop, Inc had a SAIDI of 390.5 minutes in 2023. Leaving aside major weather events, that figure runs above the national average, pointing to below-average reliability.
What type of utility is Fergus Electric Coop, Inc?
Fergus Electric Coop, Inc is classified as a Cooperative serving Montana.
How many customers does Fergus Electric Coop, Inc serve?
Fergus Electric Coop, Inc serves approximately 6,911 customers in Montana.
How has Fergus Electric Coop, Inc's reliability changed over time?
Fergus Electric Coop, Inc has 4 years of reliability data (2020-2023). SAIDI has held roughly steady across these years. Review the trend table above for year-by-year detail.
Utility Profile
- Type
- Cooperative
- State
- Montana
- Customers
- 6,911
- Annual Revenue
- $0.03B
- EIA ID
- 21513
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 · methodology.