Powell Valley Electric

What Powell Valley Electric does

Powell Valley Electric Cooperative (PVEC) is a consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative founded in 1938 and headquartered in Jonesville, Virginia, serving more than 35,000 consumer-members across Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. The cooperative purchases electricity wholesale from the Tennessee Valley Authority and distributes it through more than 3,750 miles of line, three physical offices (New Tazewell, TN; Sneedville, TN; Jonesville, VA), and an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) system capable of reading approximately 34,500 meters daily. Members are billed monthly via a hybrid model combining a fixed customer charge with an energy charge per kWh, supplemented by optional levelized billing, energy efficiency rebates, and renewable programs. As of October 2024, the average monthly residential bill stands at $123.56, with rates running 29% below the national average despite TVA wholesale rate increases of 4.5% (2023) and 5.25% (2024).

PVEC's product surface has expanded beyond electricity into broadband through PVECFiber, a jointly-controlled venture with Scott County Telephone Cooperative formed in 2018 to deploy fiber to every member in the service territory. The PVECFiber sub-brand has built over 1,800 miles of fiber backbone, connected nearly 8,000 homes and businesses, secured more than $40 million in grants since 2019 (including $18 million in the most recent reporting period and a $34.2 million USDA award on December 10, 2024), and offers plans from $59.95 per month with capability up to 1Gbps. Supporting infrastructure includes a Hometown Grid-powered live outage map, an online member portal, a mobile app for outage reporting and account management, and a CrowdFiber-backed self-service fiber signup workflow.

Governance is structured as a cooperative with a locally elected Board of Directors (currently led by President Bill J. Surber III, following Roger Ball's 36-year tenure, and Vice President Tracey Sharp); Brad Coppock serves as General Manager effective March 2021, succeeding Randell W. Meyers after 57 years of service. The cooperative runs community programs including Washington Youth Tour, a Youth Art Contest, TVA STEM grants (administered via Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated), and vegetation management services performed in-house and via contractors such as U.S. Applicators. Revenue mechanics are governed by cooperative principles — not-for-profit, member-owned, with surpluses reinvested into the system rather than distributed to external shareholders.

Name

Powell Valley Electric

Legal name

Powell Valley Electric Cooperative

Website

https://pve.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Powell Valley Electric Cooperative is a consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution utility founded in 1938, serving more than 35,000 members across Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia through 3,750+ miles of line, and also operates the PVECFiber broadband joint venture delivering fiber internet to its service territory.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Utility Services

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122), Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)

Keywords

• Electric distribution services
• Rural electric cooperative
• Fiber broadband internet
• Consumer-owned utility
• Energy efficiency programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Jonesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Electric Service: Sale of electricity to residential, commercial, and industrial consumers. Revenue is generated through monthly electricity bills consisting of a fixed customer charge and an energy charge per kilowatt-hour. The cooperative purchases all energy from TVA and resells to members.
2. Fiber/Broadband Services (PVECFiber): High-speed internet services delivered through fiber network infrastructure. Plans start at $59.95 for up to 100Mbps speeds, with capability of offering speeds up to 1Gbps.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Powell Valley Electric Cooperative is a consumer-owned electric distribution utility that delivers electricity to over 35,000 residential, commercial, and industrial members across Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia through more than 3,750 miles of distribution lines. The cooperative also offers high-speed fiber broadband internet (PVECFiber) in partnership with Scott County Telephone Cooperative, with plans starting at $59.95 for up to 100Mbps speeds and capability up to 1Gbps.

Product overview

Powell Valley Electric Cooperative is a consumer-owned electric utility offering a unified portfolio of services centered on electricity distribution and extending into broadband internet. The core offering is electric service to over 35,000 consumers across northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia. This is complemented by PVECFiber, a high-speed fiber broadband sub-brand delivered in partnership with Scott County Telephone Cooperative. Members access services through the Member Portal/online account management system, Live Outage Map, and mobile app. Additional offerings include right-of-way maintenance, residential/commercial energy efficiency programs (New Homes Program, E-score), renewables, and youth programs (Washington Youth Tour, STEM grants). The company is transitioning from copper to fiber infrastructure for its broadband services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PVECFiber: High-speed broadband fiber internet service offered in partnership with Scott County Telephone Cooperative, delivering speeds up to 1Gbps to homes and businesses in the service territory.

Products and services

• Electric Service Electricity distribution service providing power to over 35,000 residential, commercial, and industrial consumers across Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia through 3,750+ miles of distribution lines, sourced wholesale from TVA and resold through monthly billing (fixed customer charge plus per-kWh energy charge).
• PVECFiber Broadband Internet High-speed fiber broadband internet service offering speeds up to 1Gbps, with entry-level plans starting at $59.95/month for up to 100Mbps, delivered to homes and businesses in underserved rural areas through 1,800+ miles of fiber backbone built in partnership with Scott County Telephone Cooperative.
• Member Portal / Online Account Management Self-service online portal for PVEC members to manage their accounts, view billing and usage history, make payments, schedule payments, and manage multiple accounts.
• Live Outage Map Real-time outage tracking system powered by Hometown Grid that allows PVEC members to view current outage locations across the service territory and receive SMS text updates about outage status and restoration efforts.
• Mobile App Smartphone application for PVEC members to report outages, view outage maps, access account information, and receive notifications about service updates.
• Residential and Commercial Energy Efficiency Programs Energy efficiency programs including the New Homes Program offering rebates up to $1,000 for high-efficiency HVAC and water heaters, E-score program for existing homes, and energy audits for residential and commercial members.
• Renewables Program Program supporting renewable energy options for residential and commercial members of the cooperative.

Quantifiable outcome

• Residential rates remain 29% below national average
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Scott County Telephone CooperativeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019PVECFiber is a partnership between Powell Valley Electric Cooperative and Scott County Telephone Cooperative to build high-speed broadband fiber network. The partnership has built over 1,800 miles of fiber backbone and connected nearly 8,000 families and businesses. The cooperative has received approximately $18 million in grants since 2023 to support this initiative, with over $40 million in total grants since 2019.
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTVA is the wholesale power supplier for Powell Valley Electric Cooperative. The cooperative purchases all its energy from TVA. TVA also provides STEM education grants in partnership with Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated and supports community programs.
• Bicentennial Volunteers IncorporatedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with TVA providing STEM education grants to schools in the valley. Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated provides $1.5 million to support STEM activities through competitive grants up to $5,000 per school.
• Virginia, Maryland and Delaware Association of Electric CooperativesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState association representing electric cooperatives. PVEC is a member and participates in programs including Day of Service, Washington Youth Tour, youth art contests, and receives recognition awards.
• U.S. ApplicatorsminorOthersSpraying contractor performing vegetation management services in specified areas including Cedar Fork, Hopewell, Tazewell, Jonesville, Pattonsville, Kyles Ford, and Little Valley.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Holston Electric Cooperative: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia with a comparable rural service profile, customer scale, and TVA wholesale power relationship — the closest structural analog to Powell Valley Electric Cooperative.
• Mountain Electric Cooperative: Tennessee-based rural electric cooperative distributing TVA power across Appalachian counties with a similar cooperative governance model, residential/light commercial mix, and broadband expansion efforts.
• Appalachian Electric Cooperative: Consumer-owned electric distribution cooperative serving parts of East Tennessee with a comparable rural member base, regulated rate structure, and focus on community engagement.
• Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative: Tennessee electric distribution cooperative selling TVA power to residential and commercial members in rural Southeast Tennessee, with a parallel co-op governance and community-focused operating model.
• Plateau Electric Cooperative: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving Cumberland Plateau communities in Tennessee, sharing Powell Valley's rural distribution profile, exclusive service territory, and member-centric governance.
• Volunteer Energy Cooperative: Tennessee-based electric (and historically natural gas) cooperative with similar consumer-owned structure, serving rural and suburban members and operating as a TVA distributor with comparable regulatory dynamics.
• Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative: Virginia electric distribution cooperative serving rural customers in the Shenandoah Valley region with a similar cooperative model, scale, and exclusive-territory distribution structure.
• Scott County Telephone Cooperative: Flagship JV partner in PVECFiber and a rural telephone/broadband cooperative that deploys fiber to underserved Virginia/Tennessee communities — directly comparable on the fiber side of Powell Valley's business.

Broad incumbents

• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA): Wholesale power supplier and federally-owned generation/transmission operator serving the entire TVA distributor ecosystem. Comparable because PVEC's economics, reliability, and rate trajectory are directly shaped by TVA's generation and rate decisions.

Emerging players

• Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation: Regional open-access middle-mile fiber network operator in Southern Virginia focused on rural broadband expansion — overlaps with the PVECFiber broadband build-out mission and federal-grant funding model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2Fpowell_valley
• Facebookfacebook.com/PowellValleyElectricCooperative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Powell Valley Electric