Lower Yellowstone R E A, Inc

What This Utility Data Tells You

Lower Yellowstone R E A, Inc is a member-owned electric cooperative operating in Montana under EIA identifier 11272. It reports service to approximately 5,171 customer accounts and generated about $0.03 billion in annual electric revenue, with a service footprint spanning 18 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 Lower Yellowstone R E A, Inc customer experienced 260.2 minutes of power interruptions, the industry-standard SAIDI metric (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 1.36 for the same period, meaning customers statistically saw about 1 distinct interruption that year. Excluding major event days (hurricanes, ice storms), SAIDI drops to 192.7 minutes, the gap between that figure and the headline 260.2 reveals how much weather, not day-to-day infrastructure, drove outages.

With 4 consecutive years of EIA data (2020–2023), Lower Yellowstone R E A, Inc's reliability record can be judged on trend rather than one isolated year. SAIDI climbed from 254.6 to 260.2 minutes over that window, a shift that can point to worsening weather exposure or delayed grid modernization.