Seven States Power Leadership traveled to Washington, D.C., February 23–25 to meet with members of the Tennessee Valley congressional delegation while attending the American Public Power Association (APPA) Legislative Rally with the nation’s public power electric utilities. Seven States Board Chair, Jeff Dykes, (CEO, BrightRidge) and President & CEO, Betsey Kirk McCall engaged with federal leaders to advocate for more power supply, educate on the flexible financing available to Seven States as a generation and transmission cooperative, and build relationships with federal representatives on key energy issues. A central focus of the meetings was providing an update on Seven States’ Energy Express project, an initiative designed to support growth in the Tennessee Valley with 220MW of additional capacity. This project will be funded with a $439 million award by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service. McCall and Dykes also led discussions highlighting how Seven States serves as an in-Valley solution to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s current debt constraint challenges. Through its financing capabilities, Seven States can own utility-scale power plants and double the impact of TVA’s capital investments, thereby expanding production and modernizing grid infrastructure. McCall and Dykes worked to educate policymakers about how aligning objectives and encouraging the use of Seven States as a mechanism for short- and mid-term financing solutions can unleash American energy faster. McCall plans to attend the NRECA Legislative Conference April 26 – 28 in Washington D.C. to continue these efforts with the nation’s electric cooperatives.

Chattanooga Times Free Press | 15 Feb 2026 | BY SEVEN STATES POWER CORPORATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Demand for energy is climbing while extreme weather events like Winter Storm Fern and Winter Storm Elliott continue to challenge an already constrained electric system. Fortunately, there is a ready-now solution. Seven States Power Corporation is a cooperative designed to help meet demand for affordable, abundant and reliable power. Since the 1930s, the Tennessee River Valley has thrived under a vital network of the wholesale power provider — the Tennessee Valley Authority — and the electric utility customers that together form the public power model. More than 150 electric utility customers distribute affordable energy across a seven-state region of Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky, Virginia and North Carolina. In 2007, TVA and the electric utilities joined forces to form Seven States as an in-valley solution to finance power assets, expand energy production and modernize infrastructure. THE ‘IN-VALLEY’ SOLUTION Seven States is a nonprofit generation and transmission cooperative headquartered in Chattanooga. It is member-owned by the electric utility customers of TVA across the seven-state region. The cooperative is uniquely positioned to operate outside established debt constraints and regulatory limitations that restrict other entities. This means Seven States can own large power plants and transmission towers, which frees up debt for TVA to build and operate more power supply. When the electric utility customers collectively own assets through Seven States, it also ensures that rates in the region remain affordable. This flexibility allows Seven States to move quickly to supplement the valley’s energy needs with reliable sources of power. In January 2025, Seven States was awarded $439 million by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, consisting of a zero-interest loan and grant to build new capacity. The first initiative under this award is a utility-scale power project that will enhance grid stability and reliability, benefits that can be shared across the valley. Where demand for capital and power are soaring, Seven States makes it happen. Seven States has a proven history of filling critical gaps when needed. One of its earliest projects with TVA was financing a large power asset — an 800-megawatt gas plant located in Southaven, Mississippi. By partnering with Seven States, the energy sector can nearly double its capital investment to accelerate generation projects. Where finances are constrained, Seven States makes it happen. In addition, Seven States has stepped up to deliver distribution technologies that bridge the past, present and future of a modern energy grid. With projects deployed across the valley at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Dollywood Parks and Resorts in Pigeon Forge, Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns, Tennessee, Rock City in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and with more than 500 electric vehicle chargers installed to date, Seven States has proactively advanced infrastructure to support economic development across the region. Where innovation and infrastructure are needed, Seven States makes it happen. In July 2025, the Seven States Board of Directors — representing 17 major electric utilities that purchase power from TVA — unanimously passed a resolution affirming Seven States as an additional supplier of abundant, reliable energy within the valley. By advancing an in-valley solution owned by the customers, the public power model can thrive and evolve from within, guided by those who know the region best. Seven States has built a foundation for the energy future through its cooperative structure and access to affordable capital. It represents a real opportunity to expand power production and light the way for prosperity across the Valley.

Seven States Power Corporation President and CEO, Betsey Kirk McCall, attended the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors meeting in Washington, DC on March 4, 2026, joining regional leaders to discuss economic development, infrastructure investment, and the TVC’s upcoming National Summit. The TVC brings together stakeholders from government, industry, and academia to strengthen the region’s competitiveness and support long-term growth. McCall’s participation reinforced Seven States’ commitment to collaborating with regional partners to ensure the Valley’s energy systems continue to support economic expansion and community prosperity. During this visit, McCall also met with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service staff to discuss additional federal financing opportunities that could support energy development across the Tennessee Valley. The conversation focused on Seven States’ request for nearly $6 billion in funding to acquire natural gas generation resources across the Valley. An additional $320 million could support distribution-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), helping utilities strengthen grid reliability and modernization of the region’s power infrastructure. By strengthening relationships with federal leaders and advocating for policies that support growing energy demands in the Valley, McCall reinforced Seven States’ commitment to reliable, affordable and abundant power supply. McCall plans to attend the TVC's National Summit on May 28-29, 2026 in Chattanooga, TN to highlight the region's growth for economic prosperity.

Seven States President & CEO, Betsey Kirk McCall, spent time at the Tennessee State Capitol on February 4, 2026, meeting with legislators including members of the Senate Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, and the House Commerce Committee. A central focus of the meetings was providing an update on Seven States’ Energy Express project, an initiative designed to support growth in the Tennessee Valley with 220MW of battery storage. This project will be funded with a $439 million award by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (USDA RUS) New ERA program. McCall shared how Seven States will leverage federal financing opportunities, such as their USDA award of $439 million along with access to additional federal funds, to build or acquire generation and capacity to meet energy demand across the region, particularly as TVA navigates its debt constraints. She updated the legislators on how funding available to Seven States complements and amplifies TVA’s efforts to maintain a reliable energy system. By pairing federal financing with regional expertise in project deployment, Seven States can help utilities of all sizes move energy projects forward. The Seven States team also successfully engaged in state-level advocacy efforts to help stop proposed legislation that would have imposed an additional tax on electric vehicle (EV) charging. Working alongside partners and stakeholders, Seven States communicated to lawmakers how the proposed tax could create unnecessary barriers to EV infrastructure development and slow innovation within Tennessee’s evolving energy and transportation sectors. These advocacy efforts serve to refine and advance initiatives that impact a rapidly changing energy landscape. Together with partner LPCs, Seven States is building and energizing the grid of the future.