Nashville Electric Service (NES) announced the launch of a four-pillar strategic initiative designed to strengthen the city’s electric grid and transform how the utility manages major weather events.
Following initial internal evaluations after Winter Storm Fern, NES has identified key areas for immediate improvement to ensure a more resilient power system and more transparent communication for its customers.
“Our commitment to our customers is at the heart of everything we do,” said Teresa Broyles-Aplin, NES president and CEO. “These four pillars represent a roadmap for a more modern, responsive and durable electric system that can meet the challenges of a growing city.”
The strategic initiative focuses on the following core areas:
- Strengthening Emergency Management Leadership
NES is restructuring its emergency response framework to ensure peak performance during crises. This includes formalizing leadership responsibilities specifically for emergency events and assessing staffing needs. The goal is to create a more streamlined command structure that facilitates faster decision-making and clear accountability when every minute counts. - Modernizing Communications and Outage Information
Recognizing the importance of information during a crisis, NES is conducting a top-to-bottom review of its communication tools. This effort will focus on enhancing the performance of the digital outage map and ensuring that external messaging is clear, consistent and timely. NES aims to ensure that communication system capacity can handle high traffic during major events, providing customers with data they can rely on. - Refining Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR) Practices
To improve customer transparency, NES is auditing how ETRs are developed and communicated. As field conditions change during a storm, NES will implement refined practices to update these estimates more accurately. This is dedicated to setting expectations and keeping the public informed as damage assessments evolve in real-time. - Investing in System Resiliency and Undergrounding
NES is prioritizing long-term grid hardening through enhanced vegetation management and a comprehensive systemwide undergrounding study. This study will evaluate the feasibility, costs and benefits of moving more of Nashville’s power lines underground, a move intended to significantly reduce the risk of outages caused by wind, ice, and fallen trees.
In addition, the NES Board has approved to conduct an independent, after-action review to be completed in 90 days. This evaluation is designed to capture critical lessons from the recent storm while details are still clear, ensuring the utility is fully prepared before the spring and summer storm seasons.
Subscribe to our Newsletter!
 announced the launch of a four-pillar strategic initiative designed to strengthen the city’s electric grid and transform how the utility manages major weather events.){kind=link}