Black Hills Power, Inc., SD
Black Hills Power, Inc.'s outage record
Black Hills Power, Inc. customers in South Dakota lost power 2.3 times last year, 9 hours total - well above the national norm for outage time. That is 101% more outage time than the South Dakota state average of 4.5 hours a year.
Outage length, and what it means for a generator
4 hours is this grid's average outage length - long enough that a standby generator, not a portable or battery unit, is the more realistic fit. Why outage length, not count, picks the backup: how often vs how long.
The generator question for Black Hills Power, Inc.
Serving 82,900 customers here, This is not a borderline case - Black Hills Power, Inc.'s outage record alone is reason enough to get a backup generator before the next one hits.
Where this number comes from
These figures come from EIA Form 861, the reliability report an investor-owned utility like Black Hills Power, Inc. files with federal regulators every year - serving 82,900 customers hereaveraged across the whole territory, not any one address or storm. Every other utility in South Dakota is covered too: see South Dakota's full record. Storm days are counted in - here is why.