Tombigbee Electric Power Association

What Tombigbee Electric Power Association does

Tombigbee Electric Power Association (TEPA) is a non-profit, member-owned electric distribution cooperative founded in 1934 and headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi, with a branch office in Fulton. The cooperative distributes electricity purchased wholesale from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to approximately 40,094 residential, commercial, industrial, and public-facility members across Lee County and Itawamba County in northeastern Mississippi, operating roughly 3,814 miles of distribution line. TEPA is one of 154 local power companies regulated by TVA, and all customer rates are set on a monthly basis by the Authority under a regulated cost-of-service framework.

The cooperative's core product is electricity distribution, layered with a portfolio of member-facing digital and billing products including the UtilityNexus customer portal, iOS and Android mobile apps, an automated Outage Management System with a public outage map, the EasyPay prepay program (powered by Exceleron's myUsage platform), Levelized Billing, paperless billing, and Bank Draft autopay. Adjacent lines include a $120 water heater credit incentive, the Green Power renewable program (via TVA), the Good Friends charitable bill-rounding program, a Youth Leadership educational initiative, and the Tombigbee Fiber sub-brand, which extends the cooperative into high-speed fiber optic internet within its existing service territory. Underlying technology is conventional TVA-grid power distribution, with modernized digital self-service, IVR, and outage-management layers.

TEPA's business model is a member-owned cooperative: revenue is generated primarily through monthly recurring kWh consumption charges, fixed customer charges, and demand charges for commercial/industrial accounts, supplemented by one-time membership fees ($10), connection and reconnection service fees, deposit-based credit screening (via Online Utility Exchange), and ancillary program revenue. Any operating margins are returned to members as capital credits, consistent with the cooperative charter. Distribution occurs through two physical offices, five payment kiosks, a 24/7 customer portal, mobile app, and toll-free IVR phone system, with TVA supplying wholesale power under long-standing regulatory oversight.

Name

Tombigbee Electric Power Association

Legal name

Tombigbee Electric Power Association

Website

https://tombigbeeelectric.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Tombigbee Electric Power Association is a non-profit, member-owned electric cooperative that distributes TVA-supplied power to residential, commercial, industrial, and public customers across Lee and Itawamba counties in Mississippi, and offers adjacent fiber internet service via its Tombigbee Fiber sub-brand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Utility Distribution

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Electric power distribution
• Cooperative utility services
• Residential electric service
• Commercial power supply
• Fiber internet services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tupelo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Electric Distribution: TEPA distributes electricity purchased from TVA to residential, commercial, industrial, and public facility customers. Revenue is generated through monthly customer charges, kWh rates, and demand charges for commercial/industrial accounts. Rates are regulated by TVA and change monthly.
2. Membership Fees: New members pay a $10 membership fee when establishing service.
3. Service Fees: Various service fees including initial connection ($10), transfer of service ($10), temporary electric service ($21), reconnection fees, and returned check fees ($35).
4. Water Heater Credit Program: $120 credit on customer accounts for purchasing a 30-gallon or larger electric hot water heater.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Tombigbee Electric Power Association (TEPA) is a non-profit, member-owned electric cooperative that distributes electricity purchased from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to residential, commercial, industrial, and public facility customers across Lee and Itawamba counties in Mississippi. The cooperative offers tiered rate structures for different customer classes, multiple billing and payment options including the EasyPay prepay program, and operates a fiber optic internet sub-brand (Tombigbee Fiber). Additional community programs include the Good Friends assistance fund and Youth Leadership educational program.

Product overview

Tombigbee Electric Power Association operates as a non-profit, customer-owned electric utility providing electric distribution service to residential, commercial, industrial, and public facilities across Lee and Itawamba counties in Mississippi. The company's core offering is electricity distribution powered by TVA. Complementing the core electric service, TEPA offers a portfolio of billing and payment products including the EasyPay Pre-Pay Program, Customer Portal for online account management, Paperless Billing, Levelized Billing, and Bank Draft automatic payments. The company has also launched Tombigbee Fiber as a separate sub-brand offering high-speed fiber optic internet. Additional programs include the Good Friends charitable bill-rounding program, Green Power renewable energy options, Water Heater Credit incentives, Youth Leadership educational programs, and an Outage Management System with real-time customer outage mapping.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tombigbee Fiber: High-speed fiber optic internet service offered within TEPA's service territory
• EasyPay
• Good Friends

Products and services

• Electric Power Distribution Service Core electricity distribution service providing safe, reliable, and affordable power purchased from TVA to residential, commercial, industrial, and public facility customers in Lee and Itawamba counties in Mississippi. Tiered rate structures apply based on customer class.
• EasyPay Pre-Pay Program Pre-pay billing program allowing members to pay for electricity in advance with daily usage alerts, no deposit required, no penalties or late notices. Integrated with IVR phone system and mobile app.
• Customer Portal Online account management platform (UtilityNexus) enabling members to view bills, make payments, see monthly usage, see payment history, sign up for autopay, manage multiple accounts, and enable notifications. Available via web and mobile app for iOS and Android.
• Tombigbee Fiber High-speed fiber optic internet service offered as a separate sub-brand within Tombigbee EPA's electric service territory.
• Bank Draft Automatic Payment Automatic payment service that drafts funds from the member's bank account on the bill due date for electric bills.

Quantifiable outcome

• $120 water heater credit for purchasing 30-gallon or larger electric hot water heater

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 1934TVA took over from Mississippi Power Company in June 1934 and began serving electric customers in the area. On October 10, 1935, TEPA bought all TVA distribution lines in the area. TVA provides wholesale power supply and regulatory oversight. TEPA is one of 154 local power companies regulated by TVA. TVA also provides complaint resolution process for unresolved customer issues.
• WIN Job CenterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWIN Job Center processes TEPA job applications. All employment applications must be submitted through WIN Job Center locations or their online 'Wings' system at wings.mdes.ms.gov.
• myUsage (Exceleron)coreTechnology or IntegrationmyUsage platform powered by Exceleron provides the EasyPay prepay program infrastructure including IVR phone systems, mobile apps, usage monitoring, and payment processing. Website: www.myusage.com.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 4-County Electric Power Association: Another Mississippi-based TVA-served electric distribution cooperative serving multiple counties in the region. Directly comparable as a member-owned electric cooperative with similar GTM, billing programs, and TVA wholesale dependency.
• Magnolia Electric Power Association: Mississippi-based electric distribution cooperative with comparable size and operating model. Direct peer as a member-owned utility serving a similar rural Mississippi service area.
• Coast Electric Power Association: Mississippi-based electric cooperative distributing TVA power on the Gulf Coast. Direct peer with same regulatory and supply structure, comparable size, and member-owned cooperative economics.
• Singing River Electric Cooperative: Mississippi-based electric cooperative distributing power in the eastern part of the state. Direct peer with similar cooperative model, member services focus, and TVA-regulated wholesale supply.
• Pedernales Electric Cooperative: One of the largest electric cooperatives in the United States, based in Texas. Closely comparable on member-owned cooperative economics, distribution-only model, and modern digital member-service capabilities, though operating in a different geography and TVA region.
• Southern Pine Electric Power Association: Mississippi-based member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving portions of the state. Direct peer with overlapping operating model, TVA power supply, and rural Mississippi territory focus.
• Dixie Electric Power Association: Mississippi-based electric distribution cooperative serving the southern portion of the state. Direct peer operating under the same TVA framework with similar customer mix and service territory structure.

Broad incumbents

• Mississippi Power (Southern Company): Investor-owned regulated electric utility and Southern Company subsidiary serving southeastern Mississippi. Broad incumbent providing retail electric service in the same state with generation, transmission, and distribution capabilities that TEPA lacks.
• Entergy Mississippi: Investor-owned regulated electric utility serving a large portion of Mississippi. Broad incumbent operating in the same state and overlapping end-markets, but as a for-profit IOU with broader service territory and different ownership structure.

Emerging players

• C Spire: Mississippi-headquartered fiber and wireless broadband provider. Comparable as a regional competitor to Tombigbee Fiber in the high-speed internet market within TEPA's service territory.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TombigbeeEPA
• Facebookfacebook.com/TombigbeeEPA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tombigbee-electric-power-assn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Tombigbee Electric Power Association