Cooperative Tennessee

Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop

555min
SAIDI 2023
2.21
SAIFI 2023
36,203
Customers

What This Utility Data Tells You

Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop is a member-owned electric cooperative operating in Tennessee under EIA identifier 12330. It reports service to approximately 36,203 customer accounts and generated about $0.11 billion in annual electric revenue, with a service footprint spanning 37 ZIP codes. As a cooperative, its governance is accountable to its ratepayer-members rather than shareholders, which often shapes rate-setting and reinvestment priorities.

In 2023, the average Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop customer experienced 554.9 minutes of power interruptions — a metric called SAIDI (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. SAIFI — the average number of outage events per customer — was 2.21 for the same period, so customers statistically faced roughly 2 distinct interruptions that year. Excluding major event days (hurricanes, ice storms), SAIDI drops to 170.2 minutes — the gap between that figure and the headline 554.9 reveals how much weather, not day-to-day infrastructure, drove outages.

The EIA dataset includes 4 years of continuous reporting (2020–2023) for Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop, which lets you see whether reliability is trending up or down rather than judging from a single snapshot. SAIDI has improved from 910.8 to 554.9 minutes over that window — a meaningful direction for prospective customers and regulators watching capital investment outcomes. All figures on this page come directly from EIA Form 861, the federal annual electric power industry survey, with service territory ZIPs sourced from OpenEI — you can cross-reference them with your own utility bill or use them when comparing providers before relocating.

SAIDI

555 min per year

Average outage minutes (2023)

SAIFI

2.21 interruptions/yr

Outage frequency (2023)

Customers

36,203

Served in Tennessee

SAIDI vs. National Average (180 min) 100.0%

555 minutes per customer per year

Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop SAIDI

Minutes without power per year (2023)

555 SAIDI555 SAIDINat. avg 120120SAIDI555SAIDI

Below Average

Reliability Trend (2020–2023)

Year SAIDI (min) SAIDI nMED SAIFI Customers
2020 910.8 304.1 2.257
2021 6.2 4.4 2.399
2022 5.8 4.3 2.692
2023 554.9 170.2 2.211

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

Service Area

Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop serves 37 ZIP codes in Tennessee.

37025370333705037055370583706137078370963709737098371013713437137371403717537178371813718538221383113832038329383333834138363383803842538454384613846238464384743847638482384833848538487

Frequently Asked Questions

How reliable is Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop?

Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop had a SAIDI of 554.9 minutes in 2023, meaning the average customer experienced about 555 minutes of outages that year. This is above the national average, indicating below-average reliability.

What type of utility is Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop?

Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop is classified as a Cooperative serving Tennessee. Electric cooperatives are member-owned nonprofit utilities, typically serving rural areas.

What does SAIDI mean for Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop?

SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index) measures the average total minutes per year that a customer of Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop experiences power outages. A lower SAIDI indicates better reliability. The national average is roughly 120-180 minutes per year, so comparing Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop's SAIDI to that benchmark shows whether this utility is above or below average.

How many customers does Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop serve?

Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop serves approximately 36,203 customers in Tennessee. Customer count can affect reliability metrics because larger utilities may face different infrastructure challenges compared to smaller ones.

How has Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop's reliability changed over time?

Meriwether Lewis Electric Coop has 4 years of reliability data (2020-2023). SAIDI has remained relatively stable over this period. Review the trend table above for year-by-year detail.

What is SAIDI without major event days?

SAIDI "without major event days" (SAIDI nMED) excludes outages caused by hurricanes, ice storms, and other catastrophic weather events. It better reflects day-to-day infrastructure reliability rather than vulnerability to extreme weather. Both standard SAIDI and SAIDI nMED are shown in the reliability trend table above.

Utility Profile

Type
Cooperative
State
Tennessee
Customers
36,203
Annual Revenue
$0.11B
EIA ID
12330
Data Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration Form 861 annual electric power industry survey. ZIP service territory from OpenEI.

Related

Data sourced from official EIA reliability statistics and OpenEI utility rate database. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainUtility Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Form 861. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.