A petition launched on Sunday calls on Cheatham County and the Tennessee Public Service Commission to transition the small number of residents who purchase electricity from Nashville Electric Service (NES) to Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation (CEMC) in the wake of Winter Storm Fern.
The petition requests Cheatham County conduct a feasibility study for the potential switch, citing “persistent power outages occurring on a monthly and at times weekly basis, including during normal, non-severe weather conditions.”
According to the petition, about 3 percent of Cheatham County receives its electricity from NES, though other sources estimate as few as 1 percent of the county’s 40,000 residents receive their electricity.
“These recurring interruptions negatively impact families, businesses, remote workers, and public safety. While we recognize the complexity of electric service and TVA’s role in power distribution, other counties have initiated similar reviews of service alignment,” the petition states. “The frequency and consistency of outages outside of disaster events suggest that a formal evaluation is warranted. We believe this is a provider performance issue that directly affects our community.”
Seeking to be “absorbed by CEMC,” the petitioners additionally request a review from the Tennessee Public Service Commission. More than 200 had signed the petition at press time.
The petition from Cheatham County is the latest effort that could lead to NES losing some of its customers outside of Davidson County, as both La Vergne and Sumner County have launched efforts to either secure representation on the NES board or else pursue agreements with competing utility companies.
La Vergne Mayor Jason Cole told The Tennessee Star last week that NES’ leadership had yet to respond to a letter he sent with two state lawmakers, and The Tennessean reported on Monday that a second letter specifically requested that the Rutherford County community be allowed to transfer to Middle Tennessee Electric.
The effort by neighboring communities comes amid a Metro Nashville Council resolution calling for NES to fire its top executive over the company’s storm response.
About half of the 470,000 NES customers lost power during Winter Storm Fern, and thousands were left in the dark for more than a week before service was restored.
– – –
Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Nashville Electric Service Workers” by Nashville Electric Service.Â
