Cooperative · South Dakota · EIA 20401
West River Electric Assn Inc
Cooperative · South Dakota · 20K customers. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's EIA Form 861, reliability for 2023 shows SAIDI 38 minutes/customer.
Reliability verdict
West River Electric Assn Inc shows above-average chronic reliability in 2023: 38 minutes SAIDI excluding major events across 20K customers.
- 38 min
- SAIDI 2023
- 0.46
- SAIFI 2023
- 38 min
- SAIDI ex-MED
- 20K
- Customers
Chronic reliability judged on SAIDI excluding major event days when reported (IEEE 1366). Source: EIA Form 861 · August 2026.
Signature read: short interruption minutes vs the 911 utility cohort (≤96 min tercile cut).
What short-outage West River Electric Assn Inc filings show
West River Electric Assn Inc is a member-owned electric cooperative operating in South Dakota under EIA identifier 20401. It reports service to approximately 20,260 customer accounts and generated about $0.04 billion in annual electric revenue, with a service footprint spanning 30 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 West River Electric Assn Inc customer experienced 38.1 minutes of power interruptions, a measure known as SAIDI, or System Average Interruption Duration Index. That keeps this utility below the typical 120–180 minute national benchmark, consistent with a well-hardened distribution system and fast restoration crews. Over the same period, SAIFI (outage events per customer) was 0.46, putting the typical customer at roughly 0 distinct interruptions that year. Strip out major event days (hurricanes, ice storms) and SAIDI falls to 38.1 minutes; the difference from the headline 38.1 shows how much of the outage total came from weather rather than everyday grid issues.
West River Electric Assn Inc has 4 years of continuous EIA reporting on file (2020–2023), enough to read a real trend rather than a single-year snapshot. Over that span, SAIDI rose from 28.2 to 38.1 minutes, possibly reflecting tougher weather years or grid upgrades that have not caught up yet.
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.
38 min/year per customer
Annual minutes without electric service (2023)
SAIDI by year (2020-2023)
Minutes per customer-year · EIA Form 861
Year-by-year SAIDI for West River Electric Assn Inc from the same EIA filings as the table below. Lower is better; major-event years can spike the headline figure.
West River Electric Assn Inc SAIDI trend
West River Electric Assn Inc vs the nationwide SAIDI distribution
Where this utility's headline SAIDI sits among every EIA Form 861 utility with a reported figure
38 Among the lowest fewer outage minutes than 87% 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 West River Electric Assn Inc sits on price vs. reliability
Among the 781 U.S. utilities large enough to report both revenue per customer and a recent outage record, West River Electric Assn Inc charges more per customer than 21% of them, and is more reliable (lower SAIDI) than 90% of them, placing it in the quadrant where it pays less while still being more reliable, the best-value quadrant. Revenue per customer and outage minutes are independent figures: paying more does not guarantee fewer outages.
Revenue per customer: $2,090/year · Latest SAIDI: 38.1 minutes/year.
SAIDI 2023 breakdown: 38.1 minutes
Reliability Trend (2020–2023)
| Year | SAIDI (min) | SAIDI nMED | SAIFI | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 28.2 | 28.2 | 0.360 | 18,159 |
| 2021 | 54.5 | 54.5 | 0.720 | 18,789 |
| 2022 | 46.6 | 46.6 | 0.480 | 19,369 |
| 2023 | 38.1 | 38.1 | 0.458 | 20,286 |
SAIDI nMED = SAIDI without major event days. Source: EIA Form 861.
Service Area
West River Electric Assn Inc serves 30 ZIP codes in South Dakota.
Frequently Asked Questions
How reliable is West River Electric Assn Inc?
West River Electric Assn Inc had a SAIDI of 38.1 minutes in 2023. Excluding major storm impacts, this beats the national average, a sign of above-average reliability.
What type of utility is West River Electric Assn Inc?
West River Electric Assn Inc is classified as a Cooperative serving South Dakota.
How many customers does West River Electric Assn Inc serve?
West River Electric Assn Inc serves approximately 20,260 customers in South Dakota.
How has West River Electric Assn Inc's reliability changed over time?
West River Electric Assn Inc 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
- South Dakota
- Customers
- 20,260
- Annual Revenue
- $0.04B
- EIA ID
- 20401
Explore
Utilities with similar EIA profiles
Two cross-state peer sets for West River Electric Assn Inc. 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 (20K here), outside South Dakota.
Similar chronic SAIDI
Nearest utilities by latest SAIDI minutes (38.1 here), outside South Dakota, 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.