Cooperative North Dakota

Northern Plains Electric Coop

551min
SAIDI 2023
2.14
SAIFI 2023
11,940
Customers

What This Utility Data Tells You

Northern Plains Electric Coop is a member-owned electric cooperative operating in North Dakota under EIA identifier 13196. It reports service to approximately 11,940 customer accounts and generated about $0.04 billion in annual electric revenue, with a service footprint spanning 93 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 Northern Plains Electric Coop customer experienced 551.4 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 2.14 for the same period, so customers statistically faced roughly 2 distinct interruptions that year. Excluding major event days (hurricanes, ice storms), SAIDI drops to 372.4 minutes — the gap between that figure and the headline 551.4 reveals how much weather, not day-to-day infrastructure, drove outages.

The EIA dataset includes 4 years of continuous reporting (2020–2023) for Northern Plains Electric Coop, which lets you see whether reliability is trending up or down rather than judging from a single snapshot. SAIDI has increased from 331.3 to 551.4 minutes, which may reflect either worsening weather exposure or delayed grid modernization. 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

551 min per year

Average outage minutes (2023)

SAIFI

2.14 interruptions/yr

Outage frequency (2023)

Customers

11,940

Served in North Dakota

SAIDI vs. National Average (180 min) 100.0%

551 minutes per customer per year

Northern Plains Electric Coop SAIDI

Minutes without power per year (2023)

551 SAIDI551 SAIDINat. avg 120120SAIDI551SAIDI

Below Average

Reliability Trend (2020–2023)

Year SAIDI (min) SAIDI nMED SAIFI Customers
2020 331.3 301.8 2.743 11,904
2021 150.6 117.9 1.312 11,973
2022 347.8 309.6 2.272 12,040
2023 551.4 372.4 2.143 12,094

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

Service Area

Northern Plains Electric Coop serves 93 ZIP codes in North Dakota.

580165803558046580565806458212582305824058254582595826658267582725827458277583015831058313583165831758323583245832558327583315833258339583415834358344583465834858351583525835358356583575836158362583635836558366583675836858369583705837258374583775838058381583825838458385583865840158402584165841858420584215842258423584245842558426584285842958438584435844458445584485845158455584645846758475584765847858481584825848458486584875848858492584945849658497585325871058788

Frequently Asked Questions

How reliable is Northern Plains Electric Coop?

Northern Plains Electric Coop had a SAIDI of 551.4 minutes in 2023, meaning the average customer experienced about 551 minutes of outages that year. This is above the national average, indicating below-average reliability.

What type of utility is Northern Plains Electric Coop?

Northern Plains Electric Coop is classified as a Cooperative serving North Dakota. Electric cooperatives are member-owned nonprofit utilities, typically serving rural areas.

What does SAIDI mean for Northern Plains Electric Coop?

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

How many customers does Northern Plains Electric Coop serve?

Northern Plains Electric Coop serves approximately 11,940 customers in North Dakota. Customer count can affect reliability metrics because larger utilities may face different infrastructure challenges compared to smaller ones.

How has Northern Plains Electric Coop's reliability changed over time?

Northern Plains 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
North Dakota
Customers
11,940
Annual Revenue
$0.04B
EIA ID
13196
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.