Cooperative · Louisiana · EIA 17684

Southwest Louisiana E M C

Cooperative · Louisiana · 116K customers. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's EIA Form 861, reliability for 2023 shows SAIDI 243 minutes/customer.

Reliability verdict

Southwest Louisiana E M C shows near-benchmark chronic reliability in 2023: 167 minutes SAIDI excluding major events across 116K customers.

243 min
SAIDI 2023
2.80
SAIFI 2023
167 min
SAIDI ex-MED
116K
Customers

Chronic reliability judged on SAIDI excluding major event days when reported (IEEE 1366). Source: EIA Form 861 · August 2026.

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Signature read: mid-cohort SAIDI between the 96 and 258 minute tercile cuts.

What mid-pack Southwest Louisiana E M C filings show

Southwest Louisiana E M C is a member-owned electric cooperative operating in Louisiana under EIA identifier 17684. It reports service to approximately 115,809 customer accounts and generated about $0.30 billion in annual electric revenue, with a service footprint spanning 58 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 Southwest Louisiana E M C customer experienced 242.7 minutes of power interruptions, a measure known as SAIDI, or 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 2.80 for the same period, meaning customers statistically saw about 3 distinct interruptions that year. Once major event days (hurricanes, ice storms) are excluded, SAIDI comes down to 167.1 minutes, and the spread against the headline 242.7 indicates how much weather, versus routine infrastructure, drove the outage total.

The EIA dataset includes 4 years of continuous reporting (2020–2023) for Southwest Louisiana E M C, which lets you see whether reliability is trending up or down rather than judging from a single snapshot. SAIDI dropped from 4558.2 to 242.7 minutes across that span, a direction regulators and prospective customers tend to watch closely. Note: this figure is unusually low compared to typical U.S. utility performance and may reflect an incomplete EIA filing for this year rather than a genuine reliability improvement -- treat with caution and cross-check against Southwest Louisiana E M C's other reported years.

F
Reliability Score
28/100
Southwest Louisiana E M C · 3 of 3 dimensions reported

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.

Baseline Reliability F 167.1 min/yr
SAIDI excluding major-event days — day-to-day grid performance
Total Outage Duration D 242.7 min/yr
SAIDI including storms and major events — the full-year experience
Outage Frequency F 2.80/yr
SAIFI — average number of interruptions per customer per year
SAIDI vs. national mean (341 min) 32.4%

243 outage minutes per customer annually

Southwest Louisiana E M C SAIDI

Power-out minutes per year (2023)

243 SAIDI243 SAIDINat. avg 341341SAIDI243SAIDI

Good

SAIDI by year (2020-2023)

Minutes per customer-year · EIA Form 861

Year-by-year SAIDI for Southwest Louisiana E M C from the same EIA filings as the table below. Lower is better; major-event years can spike the headline figure.

Source: U.S. EIA Form 861 As of August 2026

Southwest Louisiana E M C SAIDI trend

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 2020 2021 2022 2023 4558.2 187.8 172.1 242.7
Year-by-year SAIDI from the same EIA filings as the table below. Lower is better; major-event years can spike the headline figure.

Southwest Louisiana E M C vs the nationwide SAIDI distribution

Where this utility's headline SAIDI sits among every EIA Form 861 utility with a reported figure

243 Around the middle fewer outage minutes than 36% 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

Price vs. reliability

Where Southwest Louisiana E M C sits on price vs. reliability

Among the 781 U.S. utilities large enough to report both revenue per customer and a recent outage record, Southwest Louisiana E M C charges more per customer than 54% of them, and is more reliable (lower SAIDI) than 39% of them, placing it in the quadrant where it pays more but is LESS reliable, a premium price without a reliability payoff. Revenue per customer and outage minutes are independent figures: paying more does not guarantee fewer outages.

Southwest Louisiana E M C vs. a 40-utility national peer sample, price percentile vs. reliability percentile. Scatter plot of 41 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 050100150 050100150 Best valuePays for itCheap + riskyWorst deal Price percentile Reliability percentile Point, Price percentile: 0 · Reliability percentile: 30Point, Price percentile: 3 · Reliability percentile: 43Point, Price percentile: 5 · Reliability percentile: 35Point, Price percentile: 8 · Reliability percentile: 82Point, Price percentile: 10 · Reliability percentile: 47Point, Price percentile: 13 · Reliability percentile: 90Point, Price percentile: 15 · Reliability percentile: 12Point, Price percentile: 18 · Reliability percentile: 25Point, Price percentile: 20 · Reliability percentile: 17Point, Price percentile: 23 · Reliability percentile: 80Point, Price percentile: 25 · Reliability percentile: 10Point, Price percentile: 28 · Reliability percentile: 52Point, Price percentile: 30 · Reliability percentile: 62Point, Price percentile: 33 · Reliability percentile: 60Point, Price percentile: 35 · Reliability percentile: 7Point, Price percentile: 38 · Reliability percentile: 0Point, Price percentile: 40 · Reliability percentile: 72Point, Price percentile: 43 · Reliability percentile: 5Point, Price percentile: 45 · Reliability percentile: 20Point, Price percentile: 48 · Reliability percentile: 15Point, Price percentile: 50 · Reliability percentile: 45Point, Price percentile: 53 · Reliability percentile: 40Point, Price percentile: 55 · Reliability percentile: 100Point, Price percentile: 60 · Reliability percentile: 77Point, Price percentile: 63 · Reliability percentile: 2Point, Price percentile: 65 · Reliability percentile: 70Point, Price percentile: 68 · Reliability percentile: 95Point, Price percentile: 70 · Reliability percentile: 75Point, Price percentile: 73 · Reliability percentile: 55Point, Price percentile: 75 · Reliability percentile: 50Point, Price percentile: 78 · Reliability percentile: 92Point, Price percentile: 80 · Reliability percentile: 22Point, Price percentile: 83 · Reliability percentile: 97Point, Price percentile: 85 · Reliability percentile: 37Point, Price percentile: 88 · Reliability percentile: 27Point, Price percentile: 90 · Reliability percentile: 85Point, Price percentile: 93 · Reliability percentile: 65Point, Price percentile: 95 · Reliability percentile: 87Point, Price percentile: 98 · Reliability percentile: 67Point, Price percentile: 100 · Reliability percentile: 57Southwest Louisiana E M C, Price percentile: 54 · Reliability percentile: 39
Southwest Louisiana E M C vs. a 40-utility national peer sample, price percentile vs. reliability percentile.

Revenue per customer: $2,604/year · Latest SAIDI: 242.7 minutes/year.

SAIDI 2023 breakdown: 242.7 minutes

Reliability Trend (2020–2023)

Year SAIDI (min) SAIDI nMED SAIFI
2020 4558.2 211.2 5.190
2021 187.8 157.8 2.480
2022 172.1 153.5 2.420
2023 242.7 167.1 2.800

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

Service Area

Southwest Louisiana E M C serves 58 ZIP codes in Louisiana.

70501705037050670507705087051070511705127051570516705177051870519705207052170525705267052870529705317053270533705347053570537705417054270543705467054870549705517055470555705567055870559705607056370570705757057770578705827058370584705867058970592705937059670643706557075070756713227135371358

Frequently Asked Questions

How reliable is Southwest Louisiana E M C?

Southwest Louisiana E M C had a SAIDI of 242.7 minutes in 2023. Excluding major storm impacts, this tracks roughly with the national average.

What type of utility is Southwest Louisiana E M C?

Southwest Louisiana E M C is classified as a Cooperative serving Louisiana.

How many customers does Southwest Louisiana E M C serve?

Southwest Louisiana E M C serves approximately 115,809 customers in Louisiana.

How has Southwest Louisiana E M C's reliability changed over time?

Southwest Louisiana E M C 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
Louisiana
Customers
115,809
Annual Revenue
$0.30B
EIA ID
17684

Utilities with similar EIA profiles

Two cross-state peer sets for Southwest Louisiana E M C. Same-state SAIDI neighbors stay in Read-with below; these neighborhoods are nearest other-state utilities with at least 10,000 reported customers.

Similar customer count

Nearest utilities by Form 861 customers (116K here), outside Louisiana.

Similar chronic SAIDI

Nearest utilities by latest SAIDI minutes (242.7 here), outside Louisiana, excluding the customer-peer set.

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.