IOU Montana

NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)

103min
SAIDI 2023
0.93
SAIFI 2023
401,963
Customers

What This Utility Data Tells You

NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT) is a investor-owned utility operating in Montana under EIA identifier 12825. It reports service to approximately 401,963 customer accounts and generated about $0.89 billion in annual electric revenue, with a service footprint spanning 242 ZIP codes. As an investor-owned utility, it operates under state public utility commission oversight that reviews rate cases and reliability performance.

In 2023, the average NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT) customer experienced 102.5 minutes of power interruptions — a metric called SAIDI (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 0.93 for the same period, so customers statistically faced roughly 1 distinct interruption that year. Excluding major event days (hurricanes, ice storms), SAIDI drops to 102.5 minutes — the gap between that figure and the headline 102.5 reveals how much weather, not day-to-day infrastructure, drove outages.

The EIA dataset includes 4 years of continuous reporting (2020–2023) for NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT), which lets you see whether reliability is trending up or down rather than judging from a single snapshot. SAIDI has improved from 165.5 to 102.5 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

103 min per year

Average outage minutes (2023)

SAIFI

0.93 interruptions/yr

Outage frequency (2023)

Customers

401,963

Served in Montana

SAIDI vs. National Average (180 min) 25.6%

103 minutes per customer per year

NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT) SAIDI

Minutes without power per year (2023)

103 SAIDI103 SAIDINat. avg 120120SAIDI103SAIDI

Good

Reliability Trend (2020–2023)

Year SAIDI (min) SAIDI nMED SAIFI Customers
2020 165.5 120.2 1.134 374,593
2021 151.4 128.4 1.371 367,486
2022 132.1 118.6 1.142 362,953
2023 102.5 102.5 0.934 368,707

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

Service Area

NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT) serves 242 ZIP codes in Montana.

5900159007590085901159012590145901559019590205902559026590275902859029590305903359034590355903659037590415904459046590475905259053590545905559057590595906159062590635906559066590675906859069590705907159072590735907459078590815908259083590855908659089591015910259103591045910559106591085911259230592415924859261592735932359327594015940259403594045940559406594105941259414594165941859420594215942259424594255942759430594335943659440594425944359446594475945059452594535945759460594615946259463594645946559468594695947259477594795948059483594855948659487595015952059521595225952359524595265952859530595315953259538595405954759601596025960459623596245962559626596315963259633596345963559638596395964059641596425964359644596455964759648597015970259703597105971159713597145971559716597175971859719597205972159722597255972759728597295973059731597325973359735597395974059741597455974759748597495975059751597525975459755597565975859759597605976159762597715977259801598025980359804598075980859812598205982359825 and 42 more

Frequently Asked Questions

How reliable is NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)?

NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT) had a SAIDI of 102.5 minutes in 2023, meaning the average customer experienced about 103 minutes of outages that year. This is near the national average.

What type of utility is NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)?

NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT) is classified as a IOU serving Montana. Investor-owned utilities (IOUs) are for-profit companies regulated by state public utility commissions.

What does SAIDI mean for NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)?

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

How many customers does NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT) serve?

NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT) serves approximately 401,963 customers in Montana. Customer count can affect reliability metrics because larger utilities may face different infrastructure challenges compared to smaller ones.

How has NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT)'s reliability changed over time?

NorthWestern Energy LLC - (MT) 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
IOU
State
Montana
Customers
401,963
Annual Revenue
$0.89B
EIA ID
12825
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.