Nissan Connection & Turnout Make 7SPC Annual Meeting ‘Historic’
December 30, 2018

Seven States Power Corp.’s (7SPC) November 30 event in Smyrna, TN, wasn’t its first annual meeting — but it was, to be sure, a first in several regards.

“This was nothing less than a defining moment,” said Seven States Vice President Betsey Kirk McCall. “It truly was historic. It was the first time a Seven States Annual Meeting wasn’t piggy-backed onto a TVPPA event. There was no other reason for members to be in Smyrna on that rainy day, but they turned out.”

“That support and commitment was gratifying,” said McCall. Giving a strong nod to the future was the fact that the meeting was conducted at the Nissan/
Tennessee College of Applied Technology, just yards from the city’s massive Nissan manufacturing plant.

Nissan’s Electric Vehicle Program

McCall said the selection of the site was intentional, given that Nissan is a leader in the electric vehicle (EV) market and 7SPC’s EV charger installation this summer is the corporation’s first project to reach fruition.

“We wanted to present Nissan’s EV program in an engaging way,” McCall said, “so as to encourage discussion of potential new EV projects and how 7SPC’s team can be of service in supporting our members’ EV and other DER [Distributed Energy Resources] initiatives. “EVs are the future—but the future is here. It’s now. 7SPC has several EV projects in play and we’re ready to launch more,” McCall said.

Annual Meeting Events

Annual Meeting attendees were briefed on Nissan’s EV program by company executives Cornelius Willingham and Scott Brierley, while 7SPC’s Brad Rains outlined particulars of the EV charger program. Attendees also toured the Nissan plant and several took advantage of an opportunity to test-drive the all-electric Nissan LEAF. Seven States’ Clint Wilson said both activities were designed to highlight the value of 7SPC’s EV program. “Holding our annual meeting at Nissan highlighted the new marketplace of the utility industry and couldn’t have been a better tie-in with the 7SPC strategic framework,” Wilson said.

Honors and Awards

Two attendees left the Annual Meeting with more hardware than they’d had when they arrived—Nissan executive Leon Simar, the event’s de facto host, was presented the first 7SPC Innovation Champion award in recognition of not only his efforts attendant to the meeting, but of Nissan’s strides in the EV marketplace.

And 7SPC Director Jeff Dykes of BrightRidge, who’d talked excitedly and at some length about the prospect of purchasing his utility’s first EV charger, wriggled off that particular hook when he won a ClipperCreek charger in a random drawing. “I’ve got a great board, but now my board members are going to argue about whose area it’ll go in,” Dykes said with a broad grin.

DERMS Initiative

Annual Meeting attendees also got updates on 7SPC’s Distributed Energy Resources Management System (DERMS) initiative from Steve Noe and the Meter Data Utilization/Analysis program from Melinda Harris. During the 7SPC business meeting, five incumbents were re-elected to their seats on the Board of Directors:

Mike Bolin of Knoxville, Tn., UB (Division 3)

Darrell Gillespie of Dickson, Tn., ES (Central District)

Mark Iverson of Bowling Green, Ky., MU (Kentucky District)

Terry Kemp of Starkville, Miss., Utilities (Division 10)

Jon Turner of 4-County EPA, Columbus, Miss. (Mississippi District)

Order of Events

Welcoming attendees was Doug Peters, president/CEO of 7SPC.

The Annual Meeting was conducted by Chairman Rody Blevins of Volunteer EC, Decatur, Tn. and Secretary/Treasurer Jim Ferrell of Jackson, Tn., EA.

Chris Jones of Middle Tennessee EMC, Murfreesboro, Tn., delivered the invocation and Michael Watson of Duck River EMC, Shelbyville, Tn., led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Middle Tennessee EMC serves Smyrna’s Nissan plant, while Duck River EMC counts Nissan’s Decherd, Tn., plant among its customers.

“Many thanks to the 7SPC staff for organizing a great annual meeting. Well done,” said Watson.

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Fast Charge TN Site to Open in Collierville

By Jessica Bradshaw • June 29, 2026
June 29, 2026 The latest expansion of the Fast Charge TN network will open on Monday, June 29, in the parking lot of 175 Washington Street, across from Lost Pizza Company. The location of the Collierville site is ideal because of its proximity to the I-269 corridor and access to food and retail. The site has three Level-3 charging stations that can fully charge an electric vehicle in about 15-20 minutes.  With this site, there are now seven Fast Charge locations in Shelby County. Memphis Light, Gas and Water received a grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) to open fast charging stations. The Collierville site is also a partnership with Seven States Power Company and the Town of Collierville.

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By Jessica Bradshaw • June 25, 2026
June 25, 2026 Seven States Power Corporation, headquartered in Chattanooga, Tenn., is pleased to announce that it will deliver a significant infrastructure investment to modernize the electric grid in partnership with Nashville Electric Service (NES), a municipal public utility based in Nashville, TN. The initiative, named the Energy Express Project, will deploy battery storage as a standalone resource designed to support peak demand, improve grid resiliency, and provide NES with greater operational flexibility. The project is backed by Seven States’ award of a landmark $439 million zero-interest loan and grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service (USDA RUS). This announcement follows similar recent announcements related to additional project locations across the state in partnership with Memphis Light, Gas and Water in Memphis, TN and BrightRidge in Johnson City, TN. The approach reflects a strategic decision to prioritize dispatchable energy assets that can respond immediately to system needs. By focusing solely on battery storage, Seven States and its partners aim to enhance reliability, allowing the utilities to better manage demand fluctuations and unexpected outages while maintaining some of the lowest electric rates in the country. “The Energy Express Project demonstrates how federal financing, local ownership, and collaborative partnerships can accelerate deployment of advanced grid technologies to help manage growing demand to meet the region’s energy needs,” said Betsey Kirk McCall, President and CEO of Seven States Power Corporation. “Battery storage provides an innovative tool that aligns with national priorities around energy dominance, affordability, and reliability.” Led by Seven States, the project will consist of 100 megawatts of battery storage capacity interconnected with NES’s electric distribution system. The batteries will be capable of storing energy from the existing grid and deploying it during periods of peak demand or system stress, helping stabilize the grid while reducing exposure to high-cost power purchases. “Our partnership with the team of experts at Seven States will allow us to deliver a battery solution that will modernize our grid, improve operations, and provide reliability for our customers,” said Teresa Broyles-Aplin, president and CEO of NES. “It gives us greater control during peak demand periods and supports our ongoing effort toward reliable energy distribution.” The battery installations will be constructed at several NES substations throughout Greater Nashville. Construction is expected to begin in 2027, with the project targeted for completion by December 2028. Once operational, the initiative is expected to support the electric needs of approximately 12,000 homes and businesses across the Greater Nashville area and create jobs during construction.  Seven States will utilize the award from USDA to build 220MW of battery storage with its electric utility partners in west, middle and east Tennessee. The initiative is among the first of its kind in the Tennessee Valley and represents a significant investment in grid reliability and local energy infrastructure. Seven States and NES view the project as a model for future battery-focused investments across the Southeast.

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By Jessica Bradshaw • June 18, 2026
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