Cooperative · Montana · EIA 6395
Flathead Electric Coop Inc
Cooperative · Montana · 74K customers. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's EIA Form 861, reliability for 2023 shows SAIDI 160 minutes/customer.
Reliability verdict
Flathead Electric Coop Inc shows near-benchmark chronic reliability in 2023: 160 minutes SAIDI excluding major events across 74K customers.
- 160 min
- SAIDI 2023
- 1.62
- SAIFI 2023
- 160 min
- SAIDI ex-MED
- 74K
- Customers
Chronic reliability judged on SAIDI excluding major event days when reported (IEEE 1366). Source: EIA Form 861 · August 2026.
Signature read: mid-cohort SAIDI between the 96 and 258 minute tercile cuts.
What mid-pack Flathead Electric Coop Inc filings show
Flathead Electric Coop Inc is a member-owned electric cooperative operating in Montana under EIA identifier 6395. It reports service to approximately 74,239 customer accounts and generated about $0.13 billion in annual electric revenue, with a service footprint spanning 21 ZIP codes. Being member-owned, this cooperative answers to its ratepayers rather than outside shareholders, a structure that tends to influence how rate cases and capital spending get decided.
In 2023, the average Flathead Electric Coop Inc customer experienced 160.5 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. SAIFI, the average number of outage events per customer, was 1.62 for the same period, so customers statistically faced roughly 2 distinct interruptions that year. Strip out major event days (hurricanes, ice storms) and SAIDI falls to 160.5 minutes; the difference from the headline 160.5 shows how much of the outage total came from weather rather than everyday grid issues.
With 4 consecutive years of EIA data (2020–2023), Flathead Electric Coop Inc's reliability record can be judged on trend rather than one isolated year. Over that window, SAIDI moved from 870.2 down to 160.5 minutes, a trend worth noting for anyone weighing capital investment outcomes. Note: this figure is unusually low compared to typical U.S. utility performance and may reflect an incomplete EIA filing for this year rather than a genuine reliability improvement -- treat with caution and cross-check against Flathead Electric Coop Inc's other reported years.
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.
160 outage minutes per customer annually
Annual minutes without electric service (2023)
SAIDI by year (2020-2023)
Minutes per customer-year · EIA Form 861
Year-by-year SAIDI for Flathead Electric Coop Inc from the same EIA filings as the table below. Lower is better; major-event years can spike the headline figure.
Flathead Electric Coop Inc SAIDI trend
Flathead 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
160 Lower than most fewer outage minutes than 51% 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 Flathead Electric Coop Inc sits on price vs. reliability
Among the 781 U.S. utilities large enough to report both revenue per customer and a recent outage record, Flathead Electric Coop Inc charges more per customer than 7% of them, and is more reliable (lower SAIDI) than 55% of them, placing it in the quadrant where it pays less while still being more reliable, the best-value quadrant. Revenue per customer and outage minutes are independent figures: paying more does not guarantee fewer outages.
Revenue per customer: $1,797/year · Latest SAIDI: 160.5 minutes/year.
SAIDI 2023 breakdown: 160.5 minutes
Reliability Trend (2020–2023)
| Year | SAIDI (min) | SAIDI nMED | SAIFI | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 870.2 | 173.4 | 2.380 | 67,628 |
| 2021 | 670.9 | 164.6 | 2.619 | 69,430 |
| 2022 | 692.2 | 222.9 | 2.720 | 71,693 |
| 2023 | 160.5 | 160.5 | 1.620 | 75,881 |
SAIDI nMED = SAIDI without major event days. Source: EIA Form 861.
Service Area
Flathead Electric Coop Inc serves 21 ZIP codes in Montana.
Frequently Asked Questions
How reliable is Flathead Electric Coop Inc?
Flathead Electric Coop Inc had a SAIDI of 160.5 minutes in 2023. Excluding major weather events, this is near the national average.
What type of utility is Flathead Electric Coop Inc?
Flathead Electric Coop Inc is classified as a Cooperative serving Montana.
How many customers does Flathead Electric Coop Inc serve?
Flathead Electric Coop Inc serves approximately 74,239 customers in Montana.
How has Flathead Electric Coop Inc's reliability changed over time?
Flathead 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
- 74,239
- Annual Revenue
- $0.13B
- EIA ID
- 6395
Explore
Utilities with similar EIA profiles
Two cross-state peer sets for Flathead Electric Coop Inc. 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 (74K here), outside Montana.
Similar chronic SAIDI
Nearest utilities by latest SAIDI minutes (160.5 here), outside Montana, excluding the customer-peer set.
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.