Weakley County Municipal Electric System

What Weakley County Municipal Electric System does

Weakley County Municipal Electric System (WCMES) is a non-profit municipal electric utility founded in 1938 and headquartered in Martin, Tennessee, that distributes electricity to approximately 20,500 residential and commercial customers across Weakley County, the City of South Fulton, the City of Bradford, and portions of rural northeast Gibson County. The utility operates 12 substations and 1,767 miles of distribution lines, drawing its energy supply through the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and operating under the governance of an independent Board of Public Utilities appointed by Weakley County Government. WCMES does not receive county tax revenue and remits annual in-lieu-of-tax payments back to the county.

Name

Weakley County Municipal Electric System

Legal name

Weakley County Municipal Electric System

Website

https://wcmes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Weakley County Municipal Electric System is a non-profit municipal utility that distributes electricity to approximately 20,500 residential and commercial customers across Weakley County and surrounding northwest Tennessee municipalities via 12 substations and 1,767 miles of distribution lines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Utility Distribution

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Utilities (22)

SIC

Electric Services (4911), Communications Services, Nec (4899)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Power Districts & State/Provincial Utilities (EUADABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medium-Voltage (MV) Distribution Substations & Switchgear (EUADACAB), Public Carrier Connectivity & Managed Services for Utility WAN (MPLS, DIA, APN) (EUADAIAG)

Keywords

• Electric power distribution
• Municipal utility services
• Dark fiber leasing
• Outdoor lighting rental
• Heat pump financing

Headquarters

HQ city

Martin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Electric Power Sales: Core revenue from electricity distribution to approximately 20,500 customers across Weakley County, City of South Fulton, City of Bradford, and rural northeast Gibson County through 12 substations and 1,767 miles of distribution lines.
2. Outdoor Lighting Rental: Monthly rental fees for outdoor lighting including yard lights (64 watt LED) and flood lighting (400 watt or 1000 watt Metal Halide), installed on WCMES poles with monthly charges appearing on electric bills.
3. Dark Fiber Leasing: Leasing excess fiber optic capacity to customers who want access to high speed internet or point-to-point connections. WCMES connects with all bordering Counties.
4. Heat Pump Financing: Financing heat pumps at 8% locked rate for up to 10 years, billed on monthly electric bill. Heat pumps must be installed by TVA approved contractors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WCMES distributes electricity to approximately 20,500 residential and commercial customers across Weakley County, the City of South Fulton, the City of Bradford, and rural northeast Gibson County through 12 substations and 1,767 miles of distribution lines. The utility also offers outdoor lighting rentals, dark fiber optic cable leases, heat pump financing, and EV fast charging through a ChargePoint station.

Product overview

Weakley County Municipal Electric System (WCMES) is a municipal electric utility providing electric power distribution as its core product, serving approximately 20,500 customers across Weakley County, the City of South Fulton, the City of Bradford, and rural northeast Gibson County through 12 substations and 1,767 miles of distribution lines. The utility operates as a non-profit municipal electric system established in 1938. In addition to core electric distribution, WCMES offers complementary services including a Fast Charge Tennessee Site (EV charging station at 109 University Street, Martin), outdoor lighting rentals, dark fiber leasing for internet connectivity, heat pump financing programs, and distributed generation system interconnection services. The company also provides a mobile app for bill payment and account management through the UtilityNexus platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electric Distribution Service Residential and commercial electric power distribution serving approximately 20,500 customers across Weakley County, City of South Fulton, City of Bradford, and rural northeast Gibson County through 12 substations and 1,767 miles of distribution lines.
• Outdoor Lighting Rental Monthly rental of outdoor lighting installed on WCMES poles, including 64 watt LED yard lights and 400 watt or 1000 watt Metal Halide flood lighting for parking lots and larger areas, with charges appearing on the customer's electric bill.
• Dark Fiber Leasing Lease of excess single mode fiber optic cable capacity to customers (primarily ISPs and telecom operators) needing high-speed internet backbone or point-to-point connections, with fiber connectivity to all bordering counties.
• Heat Pump Financing Financing program for heat pumps at 8% locked-in rate for up to 10 years, billed on the customer's monthly electric bill, requiring home ownership, a credit check, and installation by a TVA-approved contractor.
• Fast Charge Tennessee EV Charging Station ChargePoint electric vehicle fast charging station at 109 University St., Martin, TN with CHAdeMO and CCS1 connectors, accessible to EV drivers via the ChargePoint network/app as part of the Fast Charge Tennessee regional program.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 20,500 customers served across Weakley County and surrounding areas
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Union City Energy AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2023Union City Energy Authority sent crews to assist WCMES in power restoration following the March 3, 2023 windstorm that affected approximately 7,700 customers.
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 August 2022TVA partnered with WCMES and TDEC to implement the Fast Charge Tennessee program, enabling EV fast charging infrastructure in Northwest Tennessee. TVA provides energy and program support for the regional network of fast chargers across the TVA service territory.
• Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 August 2022TDEC partnered with WCMES and TVA to fund and implement the Fast Charge Tennessee program, making EV travel possible in the State of Tennessee.
• Seven StatescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 30 August 2022Seven States was enlisted by WCMES to manage the Fast Charge Tennessee project, coordinating between multiple stakeholders including WCMES, City of Martin, TVA, and TDEC.
• City of MartincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Martin provided the prime location for the Fast Charge Tennessee site at 109 University Street. The City of Martin Public Works Department collaborated on the project implementation.
• TVA Approved ContractorsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTVA maintains a list of approved contractors for heat pump installation. Customers must use TVA approved contractors for heat pump financing eligibility.
• Carroll Bank & TrustminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCarroll Bank & Trust location in Bradford serves as an in-person payment location for WCMES customers, providing convenient bill payment options.
• Gleason City HallminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGleason City Hall serves as an in-person payment location for WCMES customers.
• Sharon City HallminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSharon City Hall serves as an in-person payment location for WCMES customers.
• Fulton Electric SystemminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFulton Electric System serves as an in-person payment location for WCMES customers.
• Greenfield Banking CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGreenfield Banking Company serves as an in-person payment location for WCMES customers.
• Carroll County ElectricminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWCMES deployed crews to assist Carroll County Electric with power restoration following the March 3, 2023 windstorm as part of mutual aid cooperation.
• Benton County ElectricminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWCMES deployed crews to assist Benton County Electric with power restoration following the March 3, 2023 windstorm as part of mutual aid cooperation.
• Paris Board of Public UtilitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWCMES deployed crews to assist Paris Board of Public Utilities with power restoration following the March 3, 2023 windstorm as part of mutual aid cooperation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Fulton Electric System: Municipal electric utility serving the City of Fulton, Kentucky, in the same regional geography bordering Weakley County. Comparable municipal utility structure serving a similar small-city customer base with cross-border service relationships.
• Carroll County Electric: Rural electric cooperative serving Carroll County, Tennessee, adjacent to Weakley County. Comparable distribution utility operating in the same regional geography with documented mutual aid cooperation with WCMES during storm restoration.
• Paris Board of Public Utilities: Municipal electric and utility provider in Paris, Tennessee, within the same TVA service territory. Direct peer as both operate as municipal electric distribution utilities in Northwest Tennessee with similar service offerings, mutual aid relationships, and customer scale.
• Benton County Electric: Electric cooperative serving Benton County, Tennessee. Direct peer with similar customer scale and TVA service territory overlap; participated in mutual aid with WCMES during the 2023 windstorm restoration efforts.
• Union City Energy Authority: Municipal electric utility serving Union City, Tennessee in the same region. Direct peer operating under the same municipal utility model with similar TVA wholesale supply relationship and mutual aid partnership documented during the March 2023 windstorm response.

Broad incumbents

• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA): Federal wholesale power provider and broad incumbent in the Tennessee Valley region. TVA is the wholesale electricity supplier for WCMES and partners on the Fast Charge Tennessee program, providing the upstream generation and transmission backbone for the entire regional distribution network.
• Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW): Largest municipal utility in the United States, serving Memphis, Tennessee. Comparable as a municipally-owned multi-service utility operating in the same TVA region, but at substantially larger scale; useful for benchmarking operational practices and rate structures.
• Seven States Power Corporation: Generation and transmission cooperative serving TVA-distributor municipal utilities and cooperatives across seven southeastern states. Comparable as an enabling organization that aggregates capabilities for municipal electric utilities like WCMES, providing scale benefits unavailable to individual small utilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wcmes?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/weakley-county-municipal-electric-system

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Weakley County Municipal Electric System