Cooperative · Minnesota · EIA 17550
South Central Electric Assn
Cooperative · Minnesota · 5,941 customers. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's EIA Form 861, reliability for 2023 shows SAIDI 102 minutes/customer.
Reliability verdict
South Central Electric Assn shows above-average chronic reliability in 2023: 51 minutes SAIDI excluding major events (102 minutes including them) across 5,941 customers.
- 102 min
- SAIDI 2023
- 1.07
- SAIFI 2023
- 51 min
- SAIDI ex-MED
- 5,941
- 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 South Central Electric Assn filings show
South Central Electric Assn is a member-owned electric cooperative operating in Minnesota under EIA identifier 17550. It reports service to approximately 5,941 customer accounts and generated about $0.03 billion in annual electric revenue, with a service footprint spanning 36 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 South Central Electric Assn customer experienced 102.1 minutes of power interruptions, the industry-standard SAIDI metric (System Average Interruption Duration Index). Excluding major weather events from that total, that keeps this utility below the typical 120–180 minute national benchmark, consistent with a well-hardened distribution system and fast restoration crews. The SAIFI figure, which tracks average outage events per customer, came in at 1.07 for the same period, meaning customers statistically saw about 1 distinct interruption that year. Excluding major event days (hurricanes, ice storms), SAIDI drops to 51.0 minutes, the gap between that figure and the headline 102.1 reveals how much weather, not day-to-day infrastructure, drove outages.
With 4 consecutive years of EIA data (2020–2023), South Central Electric Assn's reliability record can be judged on trend rather than one isolated year. SAIDI has improved from 233.8 to 102.1 minutes over that window, a meaningful direction for prospective customers and regulators watching capital investment outcomes.
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.
102 min/year per customer
Power-out minutes per year (2023)
SAIDI by year (2020-2023)
Minutes per customer-year · EIA Form 861
Year-by-year SAIDI for South Central Electric Assn from the same EIA filings as the table below. Lower is better; major-event years can spike the headline figure.
South Central Electric Assn SAIDI trend
South Central Electric Assn vs the nationwide SAIDI distribution
Where this utility's headline SAIDI sits among every EIA Form 861 utility with a reported figure
102 Lower than most fewer outage minutes than 66% 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
SAIDI 2023 breakdown: 102.1 minutes
Reliability Trend (2020–2023)
| Year | SAIDI (min) | SAIDI nMED | SAIFI | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 233.8 | 125.0 | 1.316 | 5,909 |
| 2021 | 134.7 | 67.9 | 1.482 | 5,926 |
| 2022 | 106.6 | 69.6 | 1.313 | 5,984 |
| 2023 | 102.1 | 51.0 | 1.072 | 5,984 |
SAIDI nMED = SAIDI without major event days. Source: EIA Form 861.
Service Area
South Central Electric Assn serves 36 ZIP codes in Minnesota.
Frequently Asked Questions
How reliable is South Central Electric Assn?
South Central Electric Assn had a SAIDI of 102.1 minutes in 2023 including major weather events, but 51.0 minutes excluding them (the industry-standard measure of routine reliability, so the gap traces back to a major storm that year, not a chronic issue). Leaving aside major weather events, that figure comes in under the national average, pointing to above-average reliability.
What type of utility is South Central Electric Assn?
South Central Electric Assn is classified as a Cooperative serving Minnesota.
How many customers does South Central Electric Assn serve?
South Central Electric Assn serves approximately 5,941 customers in Minnesota.
How has South Central Electric Assn's reliability changed over time?
South Central Electric Assn 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.
Utility Profile
- Type
- Cooperative
- State
- Minnesota
- Customers
- 5,941
- Annual Revenue
- $0.03B
- EIA ID
- 17550
Explore
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.