Our Impact

Cody Durham knows the world of technology has evolved over the years. As the General Manager and CEO of Tishomingo County Electric Power Association, he’s been able to channel that...

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Brad Coppock has witnessed firsthand the evolution of technology and its impact on the Valley. As General Manager of Powell Valley...

In a time where innovation drives progress and defines success, Clayton Dowell is committed to forward-thinking initiatives that move his community forward. Leading Bristol Tennessee Essential Services (BTES) as CEO,...

As General Manager of Amory Water & Light, Mike King understands that technology isn’t just about progress—it’s about people. By staying tuned in to the needs of his customers, he’s...

For more than 15 years, Seven States has been immersed in the emerging needs of the energy industry and the evolving supply of energy to the region. Seven States was created in partnership with TVA and more than 150 local power companies to finance utility-scale generation assets. In the early years, Seven States and TVA jointly owned an 800MW combined cycle plant in Southaven, Mississippi. More recently, Seven States was proud to announce that it had been awarded a $439,000,000 investment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s New ERA program to build 250MW of low-cost energy using a zero-interest loan. The shovel-ready project will bring online 250MW and help ease the State of Energy Emergency. The solar plant, owned and operated by Seven States, will deliver energy across the region to TN, AL, GA, MS, KY, NC, VA, and will power approximately 113,000 homes while creating over 100 construction jobs. The project continues to garner support from local, state and federal officials and is part of an “all of the above” approach to deliver power to consumers. This federal funding will provide our region with much-needed low-cost energy used by residents and businesses throughout the Valley. The Seven States team has been hard at work with our local power company member-owners to develop energy supply strategies that reach beyond this one project. This highlights our dedication to bring multiple energy sources to the grid. Over the years, our work has expanded beyond utility-scale generation to include distribution-scale technologies. We are enhancing reliability through the installation of battery storage units at regional locations such as the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns, Tennessee. Seven States, a G&T cooperative, was created out of the need for innovative solutions. The awarded project is just one example of the innovative thinking and decisive action necessary to tackle the energy challenges of our time. We understand that economic development and job creation stop without power supply. Together with our public power model stakeholders, we intend to “ready the region” and respond to the increase in demand with additional power supply. An opportunity of this magnitude will drive our ability to attract and retain innovative businesses to the region and be a flagship model to the rest of the nation. This opportunity is significant for the region and we encourage you to learn more about the project here. We want to thank the Seven States Board of Directors and our partners for leading boldly to advocate for the USDA funding to supply much needed low-cost energy to consumers across the region. Your support demonstrates how everyone wins when we take innovative action to deliver power to those we serve.

Each year, Seven States seeks to highlight the good work being done across the Valley to meet the needs of those served by our LPC partners. As part of our commitment to our member-owner partners, we are excited to spotlight the unique work being done by experts in each of these communities and demonstrate how their work benefits energy consumers across a wide region with varying needs. We are proud to announce the 2025 Seven States Valley Innovation Ambassadors who we will be highlighting throughout the coming year. These individuals represent the work being done across the Valley to deliver more energy to the grid. They each lend their expertise to addressing how we design, develop, and deploy new technologies that solve real-time challenges for small businesses and households. A Valley Innovation Ambassador designation means that you are an individual who is dedicated to working in the short, medium and long term spaces to address today’s needs while delivering tomorrow’s solutions. These individuals have a vision for the future that allows our communities to thrive. In order to accomplish successful transitions to new technologies, we need individuals who think and act innovatively. We are honored to have the opportunity to spotlight talent such as this over the next several months. The 2025 Valley Innovation Ambassadors are: Brad Coppock, GM – Powell Valley Electric Cooperative Clayton Dowell, President & CEO – Bristol Tennessee Essential Services Jason Cloyd, GM – Caney Fork Electric Cooperative Brittany Davis, GM & CEO – McMinnville Electric System Glenn Hale, CEO – Tri-County Electric Membership Corporation Marty Ivy, Superintendent – Mayfield Electric & Water System Gene Kanikovsky, GM & CEO – Joe Wheeler Electric Membership Corp. Ray Hardin, GM – Decatur Utilities Cody Durham, GM & CEO – Tishomingo County Electric Power Association Michael King, GM – Amory Water & Light Brian Childers, Chief Information Officer – North Georgia Electric Membership Corporation Kendall Bear, GM – Rockwood Electric Jeff Newman, GM & CEO – Forked Deer Electric Cooperative Scott Owens, GM – Benton County Electric System You can expect to learn more about them in our SPARK newsletter. To subscribe to SPARK, click here.

At Seven States, we take pride in fostering innovation and supporting employees who are building the grid of the future. Joe Knox, our Director of Technology Deployment, recently contributed to a research paper on the future of electric vehicle (EV) chargers. His expertise and dedication are helping shape transportation infrastructure and manage additional demand for energy. As the demand for EVs continues to grow, the need for efficient, reliable, and accessible charging infrastructure is more critical than ever. Knox contributed to the work of PhD candidate Mehdi Khaleghian of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Knox served as a key industry expert by providing EV charging data for the project. Together, they explored methods to better predict charging station outcomes, which will benefit EV drivers, station owners, and electric utility operators. To date, Seven States has installed more than 250 EV charging stations across 6 different states – that’s nearly 500 EV charging ports in under 4 years. The research paper focuses on the data gleaned from EV charging installations and will inform the collective work of experts within the EV sector as they move forward in building a dynamic power grid. Specifically, the paper explores using embedding vectors to capture the latent characteristics of EV charging stations based on user-station interactions. These factors help improve predictive tasks such as utilization forecasting and infrastructure planning through the use of Machine Learning Models. “Working on this project was an exciting opportunity to contribute to the future of EV charging,” said Knox. “We explored ways to make charging faster, more efficient, and better integrated with the grid. It’s rewarding to see how our research can shape real-world solutions.” As we continue to manage the transition to electric mobility and the infrastructure to support it, real-time analytics from actual deployments lead to data driven decisions, thereby removing the guesswork from next steps. Knox’s contributions demonstrate the power of collaboration and innovation in tackling the challenges of tomorrow. We’re proud to have such forward-thinking minds on our team, driving progress and making a lasting impact on the energy industry. To view Seven States’ EV charging deployments, visit our interactive map.

Seven States is excited to introduce a new product: Reliability as a Service. Under this new offering, Seven States will acquire battery storage systems and natural gas generators, and provide the capacity to LPCs and their customers. These distribution assets will be used locally for demand response, outage mitigation, and operations, while Seven States will build the capabilities to aggregate the capacity for utility scale benefits. Through its partnership with CAT/Stowers, Seven States is the only Stowers reseller in the region and, as such, can provide special pricing on Caterpillar backup generators to LPC members. Seven States will work with each LPC to analyze energy usage and the economics of a potential system, and support for acquiring it. Two options are available: Seven States will procure, own and install the unit, making the capacity and operation of the unit available to the LPC under an agreement. If the LPC prefers to own the unit, Seven States will provide turnkey project management services to the LPC. We kicked off the launch of Reliability as a Service at our 2024 Annual Meeting with the dedication of a new 150kW – 2hr battery storage system installed at the Montgomery Bell State Park Visitor Center in Burns, TN. Seven States owns the battery and provides the capacity to Dickson Electric System who operates it, and the State of Tennessee hosts the site. Learn more by clicking here. Our goal for this program is to add distributed energy resources (DERs) to local power grids. This offering is optimal for behind-the-meter and front-of-the-meter generation, supplemental power for data centers, and grid optimization. The versatility of the resource is its greatest strength. With Seven States’ Reliability as a Service, LPCs now have a path for quickly meeting increased local demand and operational requirements. The battery storage system and natural gas generators can provide immediate relief to the grid by: Offsetting capacity constraints Reducing wholesale demand charges Enhancing reliability and resiliency Seven States is well-positioned to deploy these solutions. As a non-profit that exists to deliver affordable and reliable solutions that benefit LPCs and their customers, we can leverage opportunities within the marketplace effectively and efficiently to reduce the costs related to installing battery storage systems and natural gas generators. To get started on your Reliability project, contact Lance Irwin at lirwin@7spc.com 

CHATTANOOGA, TN – January 10, 2025 – Seven States Power Corporation (Seven States) is proud to announce that it will receive $439,000,000 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s New ERA (Empowering Rural America) program. The funding is earmarked for new energy initiatives, and this award will provide low-cost affordable power to nearly 10 million people. Seven States is an energy solutions cooperative that is owned and operated by the 153 local power companies across the seven state region of the Tennessee Valley (TN, KY, MS, AL, VA, NC, GA). Their member-owners distribute TVA-generated electricity and provide a variety of essential services that build the economy and enhance life in their communities. Seven States is one of three organizations spotlighted by the USDA for their proposed project. The full announcement can be found here. Funding for projects through this initiative will focus on utility-scale new energy resources such as solar generation and energy storage technologies. These investments are part of an ongoing industry-wide effort to enhance the grid with energy technologies to meet increasing demand for power. A primary advantage to our region is the public power model and the partnership between the power distributors and their power provider, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). One such project would add more than 250MWs of energy through the construction of a utility-scale solar plant in the Tennessee Valley. The plant will be owned and operated by Seven States. Jeff Dykes, Chairman of the Board of Seven States and President & CEO of BrightRidge, said, “Procuring these resources is a big step in the right direction for advancing Seven States’ mission to leverage innovative technology to design, develop & deploy energy solutions for the Tennessee Valley. An award of this size and magnitude is significant for our region and we are thankful for the opportunity it presents.” Betsey Kirk McCall, President & CEO of Seven States, expressed excitement about the grant’s impact, stating, “The New ERA program is an incredible opportunity for Seven States, our power distributor members, and TVA to work together in bringing low-cost power to the Tennessee Valley. The 250MWs of additional power will support the growing needs of the region to meet consumer demand for technology and energy.” Seven States is committed to working closely with local communities, energy providers, and policymakers to ensure a reliable energy future. The projects supported by the New ERA grant are expected to create new jobs, stimulate economic growth, and generate energy. The new solar generation is expected to take up to three to five years to finalize the design, develop and deploy all aspects of the projects. Once active, it is anticipated that this project will facilitate a higher degree of reliability and resiliency to the existing energy grid and assist in meeting increased demand as the Tennessee Valley region continues to experience growth in population and economic development.

Cody Durham knows the world of technology has evolved over the years. As the General Manager and CEO of Tishomingo County Electric Power Association, he’s been able to channel that...

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Brad Coppock has witnessed firsthand the evolution of technology and its impact on the Valley. As General Manager of Powell Valley...

In a time where innovation drives progress and defines success, Clayton Dowell is committed to forward-thinking initiatives that move his community forward. Leading Bristol Tennessee Essential Services (BTES) as CEO,...

As General Manager of Amory Water & Light, Mike King understands that technology isn’t just about progress—it’s about people. By staying tuned in to the needs of his customers, he’s...

For more than 15 years, Seven States has been immersed in the emerging needs of the energy industry and the evolving supply of energy to the region. Seven States was created in partnership with TVA and more than 150 local power companies to finance utility-scale generation assets. In the early years, Seven States and TVA jointly owned an 800MW combined cycle plant in Southaven, Mississippi. More recently, Seven States was proud to announce that it had been awarded a $439,000,000 investment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s New ERA program to build 250MW of low-cost energy using a zero-interest loan. The shovel-ready project will bring online 250MW and help ease the State of Energy Emergency. The solar plant, owned and operated by Seven States, will deliver energy across the region to TN, AL, GA, MS, KY, NC, VA, and will power approximately 113,000 homes while creating over 100 construction jobs. The project continues to garner support from local, state and federal officials and is part of an “all of the above” approach to deliver power to consumers. This federal funding will provide our region with much-needed low-cost energy used by residents and businesses throughout the Valley. The Seven States team has been hard at work with our local power company member-owners to develop energy supply strategies that reach beyond this one project. This highlights our dedication to bring multiple energy sources to the grid. Over the years, our work has expanded beyond utility-scale generation to include distribution-scale technologies. We are enhancing reliability through the installation of battery storage units at regional locations such as the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns, Tennessee. Seven States, a G&T cooperative, was created out of the need for innovative solutions. The awarded project is just one example of the innovative thinking and decisive action necessary to tackle the energy challenges of our time. We understand that economic development and job creation stop without power supply. Together with our public power model stakeholders, we intend to “ready the region” and respond to the increase in demand with additional power supply. An opportunity of this magnitude will drive our ability to attract and retain innovative businesses to the region and be a flagship model to the rest of the nation. This opportunity is significant for the region and we encourage you to learn more about the project here. We want to thank the Seven States Board of Directors and our partners for leading boldly to advocate for the USDA funding to supply much needed low-cost energy to consumers across the region. Your support demonstrates how everyone wins when we take innovative action to deliver power to those we serve.

Each year, Seven States seeks to highlight the good work being done across the Valley to meet the needs of those served by our LPC partners. As part of our commitment to our member-owner partners, we are excited to spotlight the unique work being done by experts in each of these communities and demonstrate how their work benefits energy consumers across a wide region with varying needs. We are proud to announce the 2025 Seven States Valley Innovation Ambassadors who we will be highlighting throughout the coming year. These individuals represent the work being done across the Valley to deliver more energy to the grid. They each lend their expertise to addressing how we design, develop, and deploy new technologies that solve real-time challenges for small businesses and households. A Valley Innovation Ambassador designation means that you are an individual who is dedicated to working in the short, medium and long term spaces to address today’s needs while delivering tomorrow’s solutions. These individuals have a vision for the future that allows our communities to thrive. In order to accomplish successful transitions to new technologies, we need individuals who think and act innovatively. We are honored to have the opportunity to spotlight talent such as this over the next several months. The 2025 Valley Innovation Ambassadors are: Brad Coppock, GM – Powell Valley Electric Cooperative Clayton Dowell, President & CEO – Bristol Tennessee Essential Services Jason Cloyd, GM – Caney Fork Electric Cooperative Brittany Davis, GM & CEO – McMinnville Electric System Glenn Hale, CEO – Tri-County Electric Membership Corporation Marty Ivy, Superintendent – Mayfield Electric & Water System Gene Kanikovsky, GM & CEO – Joe Wheeler Electric Membership Corp. Ray Hardin, GM – Decatur Utilities Cody Durham, GM & CEO – Tishomingo County Electric Power Association Michael King, GM – Amory Water & Light Brian Childers, Chief Information Officer – North Georgia Electric Membership Corporation Kendall Bear, GM – Rockwood Electric Jeff Newman, GM & CEO – Forked Deer Electric Cooperative Scott Owens, GM – Benton County Electric System You can expect to learn more about them in our SPARK newsletter. To subscribe to SPARK, click here.

At Seven States, we take pride in fostering innovation and supporting employees who are building the grid of the future. Joe Knox, our Director of Technology Deployment, recently contributed to a research paper on the future of electric vehicle (EV) chargers. His expertise and dedication are helping shape transportation infrastructure and manage additional demand for energy. As the demand for EVs continues to grow, the need for efficient, reliable, and accessible charging infrastructure is more critical than ever. Knox contributed to the work of PhD candidate Mehdi Khaleghian of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Knox served as a key industry expert by providing EV charging data for the project. Together, they explored methods to better predict charging station outcomes, which will benefit EV drivers, station owners, and electric utility operators. To date, Seven States has installed more than 250 EV charging stations across 6 different states – that’s nearly 500 EV charging ports in under 4 years. The research paper focuses on the data gleaned from EV charging installations and will inform the collective work of experts within the EV sector as they move forward in building a dynamic power grid. Specifically, the paper explores using embedding vectors to capture the latent characteristics of EV charging stations based on user-station interactions. These factors help improve predictive tasks such as utilization forecasting and infrastructure planning through the use of Machine Learning Models. “Working on this project was an exciting opportunity to contribute to the future of EV charging,” said Knox. “We explored ways to make charging faster, more efficient, and better integrated with the grid. It’s rewarding to see how our research can shape real-world solutions.” As we continue to manage the transition to electric mobility and the infrastructure to support it, real-time analytics from actual deployments lead to data driven decisions, thereby removing the guesswork from next steps. Knox’s contributions demonstrate the power of collaboration and innovation in tackling the challenges of tomorrow. We’re proud to have such forward-thinking minds on our team, driving progress and making a lasting impact on the energy industry. To view Seven States’ EV charging deployments, visit our interactive map.

Seven States is excited to introduce a new product: Reliability as a Service. Under this new offering, Seven States will acquire battery storage systems and natural gas generators, and provide the capacity to LPCs and their customers. These distribution assets will be used locally for demand response, outage mitigation, and operations, while Seven States will build the capabilities to aggregate the capacity for utility scale benefits. Through its partnership with CAT/Stowers, Seven States is the only Stowers reseller in the region and, as such, can provide special pricing on Caterpillar backup generators to LPC members. Seven States will work with each LPC to analyze energy usage and the economics of a potential system, and support for acquiring it. Two options are available: Seven States will procure, own and install the unit, making the capacity and operation of the unit available to the LPC under an agreement. If the LPC prefers to own the unit, Seven States will provide turnkey project management services to the LPC. We kicked off the launch of Reliability as a Service at our 2024 Annual Meeting with the dedication of a new 150kW – 2hr battery storage system installed at the Montgomery Bell State Park Visitor Center in Burns, TN. Seven States owns the battery and provides the capacity to Dickson Electric System who operates it, and the State of Tennessee hosts the site. Learn more by clicking here. Our goal for this program is to add distributed energy resources (DERs) to local power grids. This offering is optimal for behind-the-meter and front-of-the-meter generation, supplemental power for data centers, and grid optimization. The versatility of the resource is its greatest strength. With Seven States’ Reliability as a Service, LPCs now have a path for quickly meeting increased local demand and operational requirements. The battery storage system and natural gas generators can provide immediate relief to the grid by: Offsetting capacity constraints Reducing wholesale demand charges Enhancing reliability and resiliency Seven States is well-positioned to deploy these solutions. As a non-profit that exists to deliver affordable and reliable solutions that benefit LPCs and their customers, we can leverage opportunities within the marketplace effectively and efficiently to reduce the costs related to installing battery storage systems and natural gas generators. To get started on your Reliability project, contact Lance Irwin at lirwin@7spc.com 

CHATTANOOGA, TN – January 10, 2025 – Seven States Power Corporation (Seven States) is proud to announce that it will receive $439,000,000 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s New ERA (Empowering Rural America) program. The funding is earmarked for new energy initiatives, and this award will provide low-cost affordable power to nearly 10 million people. Seven States is an energy solutions cooperative that is owned and operated by the 153 local power companies across the seven state region of the Tennessee Valley (TN, KY, MS, AL, VA, NC, GA). Their member-owners distribute TVA-generated electricity and provide a variety of essential services that build the economy and enhance life in their communities. Seven States is one of three organizations spotlighted by the USDA for their proposed project. The full announcement can be found here. Funding for projects through this initiative will focus on utility-scale new energy resources such as solar generation and energy storage technologies. These investments are part of an ongoing industry-wide effort to enhance the grid with energy technologies to meet increasing demand for power. A primary advantage to our region is the public power model and the partnership between the power distributors and their power provider, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). One such project would add more than 250MWs of energy through the construction of a utility-scale solar plant in the Tennessee Valley. The plant will be owned and operated by Seven States. Jeff Dykes, Chairman of the Board of Seven States and President & CEO of BrightRidge, said, “Procuring these resources is a big step in the right direction for advancing Seven States’ mission to leverage innovative technology to design, develop & deploy energy solutions for the Tennessee Valley. An award of this size and magnitude is significant for our region and we are thankful for the opportunity it presents.” Betsey Kirk McCall, President & CEO of Seven States, expressed excitement about the grant’s impact, stating, “The New ERA program is an incredible opportunity for Seven States, our power distributor members, and TVA to work together in bringing low-cost power to the Tennessee Valley. The 250MWs of additional power will support the growing needs of the region to meet consumer demand for technology and energy.” Seven States is committed to working closely with local communities, energy providers, and policymakers to ensure a reliable energy future. The projects supported by the New ERA grant are expected to create new jobs, stimulate economic growth, and generate energy. The new solar generation is expected to take up to three to five years to finalize the design, develop and deploy all aspects of the projects. Once active, it is anticipated that this project will facilitate a higher degree of reliability and resiliency to the existing energy grid and assist in meeting increased demand as the Tennessee Valley region continues to experience growth in population and economic development.