Photo by Bill Derby
By A.J. Kaufman, Managing Editor
Headquartered in Johnson City, BrightRidge remains locally governed and fulfilling its purpose as a cornerstone of community development since its original incorporation as a nonprofit municipal utility in 1945.
BrightRidge says its mission — underwrite modern infrastructure to improve quality of life and economic development while holding costs as flat as possible for more than 88,000 electric customers — remains unchanged. And the story of BrightRidge is not about rates; rather, it is about long-range planning and infrastructure investment in an era when energy demand and technology are fast accelerating.
Utility built for more than power
Over a decade, BrightRidge has rebuilt itself as a platform utility, supporting community and commerce, enabling high-speed broadband and absorbing shocks that would otherwise land squarely on ratepayers.
BrightRidge says it has held rates well below inflation, with the local rate rising by about 4% in eight years compared to a 28% jump in the Consumer Price Index.
“Even with inflation, storms, and the loss of large industrial customers, our budget focus remains squarely on reliability, infrastructure reinvestment and limiting the impact on customer budgets,” BrightRidge CEO Jeff Dykes told the Business Journal.
Broadband as infrastructure
Launched in 2019, BrightRidge Broadband has never raised rates and delivers symmetrical 10-gigabit fiber service to more than 53,500 locations.
With BrightRidge’s robust fiber network and redundant routing to internet exchange points in Virginia and Atlanta, the region ranks among only a few nationwide where 10-gigabit symmetrical service is available to all customers regardless of location.
Robust, high-speed fiber connectivity underpins advanced manufacturing, healthcare, remote work, education and data-driven enterprises. Communities without fall behind quickly. For customers, broadband softens the impact of inflation by generating new revenue outside of electric rates as subscriber uptake grows.
The challenge facing power companies
For all the attention paid to rates and technologies, like renewable generation and battery storage, BrightRidge believes the number one issue facing power companies today is fundamental: generation capacity.
For the first time in decades, demand is rising across the Tennessee Valley. Steady population growth and the movement of large industrial customers can create rate pressure.
“In 2026, there are very few large-scale customers available to offset costs,” Dykes said. “Large electric customers lower costs for everyone by generating revenue at scale outside of residential and small commercial customers.”
About 95% of the electricity delivered to BrightRidge customers is purchased wholesale from TVA. In recent years, TVA has authorized local power companies to produce up to five percent of their own power.
Through a partnership with Nashville-based Silicon Ranch, BrightRidge is bringing 12 megawatts of utility-scale solar online in Gray later this year. The Gray Solar Farm alone is projected to save BrightRidge customers about $1 million per year for the next 25 years.
Silicon Ranch also owns and operates the existing 5-MW Telford Solar Farm and the 9-MW Martin Solar Farm in western Washington County. BrightRidge purchases solar power under long-term agreements.
“Local generation will never replace wholesale power,” Dykes said. “But it does reduce our customers’ exposure to peak pricing, adds resilience and provides predictable savings that flow directly back to customers.”
TVA, nuclear and the long view
TVA emphasizes nuclear energy as a cornerstone of its generation mix. Small modular reactors and advanced nuclear designs are cited as solutions for clean, plentiful baseload
power.
However, nuclear power is expensive and can be slow to deploy due to regulatory complexity, while demand grows rapidly.
“Natural gas plants can be built faster, ramp flexibly and stabilize grids when stressed by weather and demand,” Dykes said. “As someone who worked utility-scale generation for years, what really matters is timing, reliability and cost to our customers.”
Ready to respond
When Hurricane Helene hit the region, it was quickly learned how important it is for the local power company to prepare a response.
With about a third of its system dark and downed trees and lines everywhere, BrightRidge and its partner contractor, Pike Electric, had all power restored within a week to customers who could safely take power.
In all, four power line crossings had to be reconstructed across the Nolichucky River in rural Washington County before full restoration could be completed.
“It was a truly remarkable moment for our community and our company,” Dykes explained. “Our team came together, as so many in the community have done, to help our neighbors and others as best we could.”
In all, BrightRidge sustained $3.68 million in system damage from Hurricane Helene.
Why this matters locally
Purchased power from TVA accounts for 72% of the BrightRidge Electric budget. As a result, TVA generation decisions show up locally in real ways, particularly through a mandatory monthly fuel cost adjustment.
Fuel cost fluctuates monthly, driven by TVA’s fuel mix and the cost of purchased power from the market when required to meet demand.
Large power users — manufacturers and data centers — also play an outsized role in stabilizing rates across the system. When they leave, costs redistribute, with residential and small-business customers feeling the difference. BrightRidge says the 2.5% rate increase last year directly reflects the loss of two major industries in Telford and the pending closure of a data center.
A quiet advantage
Public power utilities rarely get credit for what doesn’t happen: catastrophic failures avoided, rate spikes deferred, industries retained or communities that remain competitive.
BrightRidge says its advantage lies in planning, innovation, reinvestment and fiscal restraint, alongside maintaining conservative debt levels and clean audits, while reinvesting in the community’s vital infrastructure.
“That kind of quiet solidity may not dominate the news cycle,” Dykes concluded. “But it is what allows a region to grow, adapt and flourish.”
