We build infrastructure.
We build connections.
We build hope and opportunity.
Tennessee’s electric co-ops are building a brighter Tennessee, investing in a stronger, better prepared and more resilient future for the communities we serve.
Local. Reliable. Resilient.
Tennessee’s electric co-ops take great pride in the work we do, the infrastructure we build and the communities we serve. Co-ops are crafting the future of Tennessee’s rural and suburban communities through energy infrastructure, broadband, economic development, education and more.
Co-ops have an impact on Tennessee
From jobs to investment to taxes, the impact that co-ops have on Tennessee is significant.
Energy and Infrastructure
Tennessee co-ops deliver power to our residential members at a price that is 16 percent below the national average. Electric co-ops manage more than $3 billion in assets and 106,000 miles of distribution lines that stretch from the suburbs of Nashville to some of the most rugged and remote areas of the state. Co-ops invest more than $107 million a year into the distribution grid.
Environment
Co-ops strive to be good stewards of our environment. More than 55 percent of the energy distributed by co-ops comes from carbon free sources, and co-op community solar projects make green energy more accessible. The cost of rooftop solar is decreasing, but it is still cost-prohibitive for most Tennesseans. Community solar allows co-op consumers to lease or purchase a percentage of a solar panel or panels that are owned and maintained by the co-op. Co-op consumers can benefit from solar ownership without a significant investment. Statewide, co-ops have built more than 2.5 megawatts of community solar.
Broadband
Co-ops are also working to bring access to high speed internet past the city limits sign. Broadband is no longer a luxury for gaming and streaming movies. It is a necessary component for economic development, education and rural healthcare. Tennessee co-ops have already invested $187 million, and when completed, these projects will bring high speed internet access more than 790,000 homes and businesses.
Economic Development
Co-ops work with local communities to recruit jobs and capital investment to rural and suburban Tennessee. USDA rural economic development loan and grant programs offered by co-ops have awarded more than $39 million to their communities to recruit and retain jobs. This is an important resource that has saved or created hundreds of jobs in co-op service areas.
Education
A solid education removes barriers and creates opportunities that are needed in the communities we serve. That is why co-ops have a long and proud history of partnering with schools in our communities. We want young people to be prepared to be leaders in their communities and fully aware of the opportunities that exist in their home towns. That is why programs like 4-H Electric Camp, the Youth Leadership Summit and the Washington Youth Tour are so important.
Advocacy
The decisions made in Nashville and Washington, D.C., can have a profound impact on co-ops and the people they serve. Electric co-ops tell the story of rural and suburban Tennessee. We do this by engaging with law and policy makers at the state and federal levels and through our professional communications efforts, including The Tennessee Magazine, the most widely circulated publication in the state.
