Bolivar Energy Authority

What Bolivar Energy Authority does

Bolivar Energy Authority is a municipal utility authority formed in 2006 by the City of Bolivar and the State of Tennessee, providing electricity distribution services to approximately 11,221 customers across Hardeman County and parts of Fayette, Chester, Madison (TN), and Benton (MS) counties. The utility operates within the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) system and manages 1,350 miles of power line infrastructure. Its customer base consists of 9,010 residential customers, 2,093 general power customers under 50KW demand, and 118 larger commercial customers with demand between 51 and 4,999KW.

The Authority generates revenue through usage-based electricity distribution billing, offering both traditional post-paid monthly billing and a Pre-Pay billing option integrated with the MyUsage monitoring platform. Supporting technology includes an automated metering infrastructure (AMI) using Elster meters, a UtilityNexus-based customer portal with mobile app, an OrbitMobiles-powered outage map, and three payment kiosk locations. Additional services include underground primary and secondary electric services, outdoor lighting, residential solar information resources, and a Fiber to the Home (FTTH) broadband initiative developed in partnership with Aeneas. Connection fees are standardized at $30 with tiered deposits ranging from $120 for small services to $1,000+ for large commercial accounts, and large deposits can be posted via TVPPA's enhanced security deposit program.

The utility is governed by a five-member Board of Directors and operates with a lean organizational structure of approximately 18-20 staff covering engineering, operations, customer service, accounting, and IT. As a government-owned municipal authority, BEA has no private equity or public shareholders; capital is raised through bond issuances and reinvested into infrastructure. The organization is pursuing modest diversification beyond traditional electricity distribution through its FTTH broadband deployment, signaling a strategic effort to leverage existing right-of-way infrastructure into adjacent utility services.

Name

Bolivar Energy Authority

Legal name

Bolivar Energy Authority

Website

https://bea-tn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bolivar Energy Authority is a municipal utility authority serving approximately 11,221 residential and commercial electricity customers across Hardeman County and parts of four surrounding counties in Tennessee and Mississippi, operating within the TVA system and managing 1,350 miles of power line.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Electric Distribution

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)

SIC

Electric Services (4911), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Power Districts & State/Provincial Utilities (EUADABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Electric Distribution System Owners (Wires-Only Companies) (EUADABAI)

Keywords

• Electric utility services
• Power distribution
• Residential electricity
• Commercial electric service
• Municipal utility

Headquarters

HQ city

Bolivar

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Electricity Distribution Services: BEA generates revenue through electricity distribution to residential and commercial customers. Revenue is based on consumption (usage-based model) with monthly billing. They offer both post-paid traditional billing and pre-pay billing options. The utility covers 1,350 miles of power line serving 11,221 total electric customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Bolivar Energy Authority distributes electricity across Hardeman County, Tennessee and parts of Fayette, Chester, Madison (TN), and Benton (MS) counties, serving approximately 11,221 customers over 1,350 miles of power line. It provides residential electric service for single-phase loads under 50 kW and General Power Service for commercial customers between 51 and 4,999 kW, complemented by Pre-Pay and Traditional Post-Paid billing, underground and overhead service connections, outdoor lighting, and a Fiber-to-the-Home deployment.

Product overview

Bolivar Energy Authority operates as a municipal electric utility providing power distribution services to approximately 11,221 customers across Hardeman County and parts of Fayette, Chester, Madison, and Benton counties in Tennessee and Mississippi. The utility's core product is Electric Service, comprising Residential Electric Service for single-family dwellings under 50KW demand and General Power Service for commercial customers with demands between 51 and 4,999KW. Supporting these core offerings are billing alternatives including Pre-Pay Billing (through Myusage platform) and Traditional Post-paid Billing with paperless and auto-pay options. Additional services include Underground Secondary and Primary Service, Outdoor Lighting, Fiber to the Home (FTTH) deployment, Residential Solar Information, an Automated Metering System, and a Customer Portal with Mobile App through UtilityNexus. The utility also provides kiosk payment locations for customer convenience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electric Service Electric power distribution service providing electricity to residential and commercial customers across Hardeman County and parts of Fayette, Chester, Madison, and Benton counties, covering 1,350 miles of power lines serving 11,221 total customers.
• Residential Electric Service Electric service for dwellings with single-phase electrical load less than 50 kW where more than 50% of electrical usage is for housing an individual or single family, as defined by TVA contract. Includes a $30 connection fee and $300 cash deposit (or $3.75 credit check in lieu of deposit).
• General Power Service Electric service for commercial customers with demands between 51 and 4,999 kW, including all services that do not qualify for residential service. Requires a $30 connection fee and a deposit equal to 2.5 months of estimated average use (often $1,000+, with enhanced security deposit options via TVPPA).
• Pre-Pay Billing Advance payment billing service where customers pay for electricity before use with no deposit requirement; consumption is monitored through the MyUsage platform with notifications sent via phone, text, or email when balances are running low.
• Traditional Post-Paid Billing Standard monthly billing service where customers pay for electricity after use, with paperless billing via email, auto-pay through bank draft, and multiple payment options including mail, online, phone, and kiosk.
• Underground Secondary Service Underground electric secondary service provided at $4.00 per foot, with the customer responsible for opening and closing the trench on their property.
• Underground Primary Service Underground electric primary service available upon request, with cost estimates provided by BEA's engineering department.
• Outdoor Lighting Security and visibility lighting service available for homes and businesses, with installation and fee information provided upon contact with BEA.
• Fiber to the Home (FTTH) High-speed fiber optic internet service being deployed to residential areas of BEA's service territory in partnership with Aeneas, as part of a diversification strategy beyond traditional electricity distribution.

Quantifiable outcome

• 11,221 total electric customers served
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)coreTechnology or IntegrationTVA is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power companies serving 9 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. BEA operates as a local power company within the TVA system, receiving electricity supply and operating under TVA's service commitment guidelines. TVA provides flood control, navigation, land management, and assists with economic development.
• MyUsagecoreTechnology or IntegrationMyUsage provides the Pre-Pay billing monitoring system for BEA customers. The system monitors electrical consumption and notifies customers by phone, text messaging, or email when their account balance is running low, similar to a fuel gauge for electricity.
• Aeneas (fiber.aeneas.com)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAeneas is partnered with BEA for Fiber to the Home (FTTH) initiative. BEA is developing fiber optic infrastructure to provide high-speed internet to customers in its service territory as part of a diversification strategy beyond traditional electricity distribution.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Memphis Light, Gas and Water: Municipal utility serving Shelby County, Tennessee — the same state as BEA. Operates as a multi-service government-owned utility providing electricity distribution to residential and commercial customers under a similar municipal-authority governance model, making it a directly comparable peer despite its much larger scale.
• Nashville Electric Service: Municipal electric utility serving Nashville/Davidson County, Tennessee. Operates as a government-owned electricity distribution authority within the TVA system, directly comparable to BEA's structure, regulatory framework, and TVA-supply model — though at far greater scale.
• Knoxville Utilities Board: Municipal utility authority in Knoxville, Tennessee providing electric, gas, water, and wastewater services. Shares BEA's municipal-authority governance structure and TVA electricity supply relationship, making it a structurally identical peer in distribution-only electricity.
• Duck River Electric Membership Corporation: Tennessee electric cooperative serving south-central Tennessee. Distributes TVA power to residential and commercial members under a not-for-profit cooperative model — closely analogous to BEA's distribution-only utility role and TVA supply relationship, differing only in cooperative vs. municipal governance.
• Holston Electric Cooperative: Tennessee electric cooperative distributing TVA-supplied power in northeastern Tennessee. Comparable as a small, member/community-focused distribution utility operating within the same TVA system as BEA, with similar rural customer density and AMI-enabled operations.
• Gibson Electric Membership Corporation: Electric cooperative serving northwest Tennessee and parts of multiple counties under TVA power supply. Directly comparable to BEA as a small distribution-only utility with rural service territory, similar customer mix, and analogous operational scale.
• Volunteer Energy Cooperative: Tennessee electric cooperative distributing power to customers in eastern Tennessee. Operates under the same TVA-supplied distribution-only model as BEA and serves a similar mix of residential and small commercial customers across multiple counties.
• Middle Tennessee Electric: One of the largest electric cooperatives in the TVA system, serving multiple Tennessee counties. Comparable to BEA in distribution model, TVA supply, and rural-to-suburban customer mix, though at substantially greater scale; useful for benchmarking operational practices.
• Plateau Electric Cooperative: Tennessee electric cooperative operating in the Cumberland Plateau region. Mirrors BEA's role as a small distribution-only utility under TVA with comparable rural service density and customer profile.

Others

• Aeneas Internet and Telephone: Fiber broadband partner of BEA for the Fiber-to-the-Home initiative. While not an electricity distribution peer, Aeneas is a relevant comparable because BEA is leveraging this partnership to diversify into broadband — making Aeneas a benchmark for the FTTH business BEA is entering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bolivar-energy-authority

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Bolivar Energy Authority