Virginia power outages by utility

12 Virginia utilities report outage minutes to EIA. The state median is 179 minutes a year; the range runs from 27 to 351.

Ranking by outage minutes

Virginia, SAIDI without major event days, 2024; lower is better; 12 utilities.

Rank	Virginia utility	Owner type	Virginia home accounts	SAIDI min	Interruptions (SAIFI)	SAIDI with storms	Virginia storm share	Price ¢/kWh
1	City of Salem	Municipal	11,298	27	0.24	27	0%	15.11
2	City of Manassas	Municipal	13,947	28	0.61	56	50%	11.63
3	Bristol Virginia Utilities	Municipal	13,633	36	0.34	530	93%	10.99
4	Northern Virginia Elec Coop	Cooperative	167,274	62	0.77	95	34%	11.57
5	Prince George Electric Coop	Cooperative	10,954	91	No data	280	68%	13.05
6	Northern Neck Elec Coop, Inc	Cooperative	17,991	169	1.96	No data	No data	16.12
7	Rappahannock Electric Coop	Cooperative	169,489	189	1.75	301	37%	14.89
8	Shenandoah Valley Elec Coop	Cooperative	85,281	226	2.32	481	53%	13.81
9	Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative	Cooperative	30,016	274	2.23	360	24%	14.50
10	Southside Electric Coop, Inc	Cooperative	56,846	309	2.81	392	21%	15.48
11	Appalachian Power Co	Investor Owned	465,283	342	1.61	1714	80%	17.02
12	Central Virginia Electric Coop	Cooperative	34,893	351	2.61	351	0%	16.14

Virginia outage minutes by owner type

In Virginia, 29% of 3,654,481 home accounts sit with the 12 qualifying utilities out of 17 in the file. Virginia customer-weighted SAIDI is 245 minutes against a median of 179, and 7 of 12 Virginia utilities exceed the U.S. median of 99. Counting major event days adds a median 37% to SAIDI.

Virginia owner type	Virginia utilities	Virginia home accounts	Virginia median SAIDI	Virginia weighted SAIDI	Virginia median SAIFI	Virginia storm share	Virginia median price ¢/kWh
Cooperative	8	572,744	207	181	2.23	34%	14.70
Investor Owned	1	465,283	342	342	1.61	80%	17.02
Municipal	3	38,878	28	30	0.34	50%	11.63

By owner type, Municipal utilities have the lowest median SAIDI in Virginia (28 minutes, 3 of 12) and Investor Owned the highest (342 minutes, 1 of 12).

Virginia utilities that stand out

Why it stands out	Virginia utility	Virginia owner type	Virginia accounts	Virginia SAIDI min	Virginia SAIDI rank	Virginia SAIFI	Virginia SAIDI with storms	Virginia price ¢/kWh	Virginia price rank
the most reliable	City of Salem	Municipal	11,298	27	1 of 12	0.24	27	15.11	8 of 12
the least reliable	Central Virginia Electric Coop	Cooperative	34,893	351	12 of 12	2.61	351	16.14	11 of 12
the largest	Appalachian Power Co	Investor Owned	465,283	342	11 of 12	1.61	1,714	17.02	12 of 12
the most storm-driven	Bristol Virginia Utilities	Municipal	13,633	36	3 of 12	0.34	530	10.99	1 of 12

Does a higher price buy fewer outages?

Each dot is one of 12 Virginia utilities.

Virginia, 2024: first 8 of 12 rows

	Home price, cents per kWh	SAIDI, minutes a year
City of Salem	15.11	27
City of Manassas	11.63	28
Bristol Virginia Utilities	10.99	36
Northern Virginia Elec Coop	11.57	62
Prince George Electric Coop	13.05	91
Northern Neck Elec Coop, Inc	16.12	169
Rappahannock Electric Coop	14.89	189
Shenandoah Valley Elec Coop	13.81	226

12 rows from EIA-861 survey.

CSV

Virginia utilities, change in their own SAIDI

First to last year each utility reported, best change first.

Rank	Virginia utility	Virginia years	Virginia SAIDI first	Virginia SAIDI last	Virginia change
1	Appalachian Power Co	2015 to 2025	312	328	+5%
2	City of Manassas	2015 to 2025	50	56	+13%
3	Northern Neck Elec Coop, Inc	2021 to 2025	156	189	+21%
4	Northern Virginia Elec Coop	2015 to 2024	50	62	+25%
5	Prince George Electric Coop	2015 to 2025	150	222	+48%
6	Mecklenburg Electric Cooperative	2015 to 2024	181	274	+52%
7	Central Virginia Electric Coop	2015 to 2025	329	501	+52%
8	Shenandoah Valley Elec Coop	2015 to 2025	158	258	+63%
9	Southside Electric Coop, Inc	2015 to 2025	187	324	+73%
10	Bristol Virginia Utilities	2015 to 2025	14	25	+83%
11	Rappahannock Electric Coop	2015 to 2025	102	220	+115%
12	City of Salem	2015 to 2025	12	28	+130%

Analyst note

Customer-weighted SAIDI of 245 minutes ranks 2 of 40 states from the worst. Of 12 Virginia utilities with 1,000+ home accounts that report SAIDI, City of Salem is lowest at 27 minutes a year and Central Virginia Electric Coop highest at 351, a 13.1 to 1 spread. The state median is 179 minutes, +80% against the U.S. median reporter. Over each utility's own record, Appalachian Power Co improved most (312 to 328 minutes, +5%, 2015 to 2025) and City of Salem changed the other way (12 to 28, +130%); 0 of 12 fell. Home price and outage minutes line up at r = +0.76 across 12 Virginia utilities: the pricier ones report more minutes. That is Virginia's pattern, not a cause.

Questions on Virginia outages

What is the customer-weighted SAIDI in Virginia?

245 minutes against a median of 179; rank 2 of 40 states.

Which Virginia utility has the fewest outage minutes?

City of Salem: 27 minutes a year, SAIDI without major events, 2024.

Which Virginia utility has the most?

Central Virginia Electric Coop: 351 minutes a year in 2024.

What is the typical SAIDI in Virginia?

The median of 12 reporting utilities is 179 minutes, +80% on the U.S. median reporter.

Do cheaper Virginia utilities have more outages?

Across 12 utilities r = +0.76, so the link is positive: higher price goes with more outage minutes.

How much of Virginia outage time comes from storms?

At Bristol Virginia Utilities 93% of all-event SAIDI is major event days.

How reliable is the largest Virginia utility?

Appalachian Power Co serves 465,283 home accounts and reports 342 minutes, rank 11 of 12; weighted by customers the state figure is 245.

Do Virginia co-ops and investor-owned utilities differ?

3 owner types report in Virginia: Municipal 3 utilities with 38,878 home accounts, Cooperative 8 utilities with 572,744 home accounts, Investor Owned 1 utility with 465,283 home accounts.

What share of Virginia home accounts do these utilities serve?

29% of 3,654,481 accounts, 12 of 17 utilities; 7 are above the U.S. median of 99 minutes.