The Carroll County Electric Department announced on Thursday, June 26, that the solar farm in Trezevant will begin operations next month. The board also advanced plans for a substation upgrade, fleet replacement, and annual write-offs.
Solar Farm
General Manager Ryan Drewry announced that the much-anticipated solar farm, developed through a partnership with Silicon Ranch and TVA, is set to go live.
“We’re nearing the runway,” Drewry said. “The energization for this array is scheduled July 1. We’ll start making sure all their inverters and subs are working, and energy will start flowing back onto the grid.”
The project is expected to deliver lower-cost energy than what the utility currently pays TVA for power generation.
In a follow-up, Drewry said the site has a maximum generation capacity of 6.5 megawatts, and while daily system load varies by season, CCED expects to absorb the full output during peak summer and winter demand.
“For the spring and fall months,” he noted, “there is greater potential for system load out of the Trezevant substation to lower during the mild days than the solar generation, if clear sunny skies. In that scenario, excess energy would flow back onto the TVA system.”
“There’s been a lot of work involved in getting it to this point,” Drewry added. “We’ll see significant savings out of that to benefit our customers and delay any further rate actions down the road.”
Leach Substation Bid
In other action, the board approved a bid for labor and materials to construct the new Leach Substation. The contract was awarded to Power Grid Company for $2,503,000 following a competitive bidding process.
According to Drewry, Power Grid Company came in about $400,000 under the next lowest bid.
“We’ve worked with them before on the rehab at Trezevant, so we’re familiar with their work,” he noted.
New Truck Purchase
The board also approved the purchase of a new digger truck for the department’s fleet.
It will be a 2026 International chassis with a Terex derrick unit.
It will cost $418,250.83 in total, and is being purchased through a Sourcewell bid.
“This is in line with our typical 11-year replacement cycle,” Drewry said. “The truck we’re replacing is already in year 12, and this unit is actually cheaper than what we would pay for a newer build slot [through Altec] by about $30,000 to $40,000.”
The new truck will also feature a bucket with a 47-foot reach.
Drewry said that the bucket is needed during times the truck is deployed for weather and other outage events.
It is expected to be delivered by October, much sooner than the alternative, which would not arrive until 2027.
Once the new truck is in service, the existing 2013 model will be moved to spare status, and a 2010 model will be sold.
Other Business
The board approved the fiscal year 2025 bad debt write-off in the amount of $65,916.90, up from $61,279.72 in fiscal year 2024. While the total dollar amount increased, General Manager Ryan Drewry noted that the percentage of uncollected revenue actually decreased relative to overall system revenues.
“Our target is to stay below 2%, and we’re well below that,” Drewry said. “Our deposit policy is doing what it’s supposed to do. Of course, I’d prefer everyone pay their bills, because those unpaid amounts get absorbed by other ratepayers. But we’re where we need to be.”
Drewry also shared news that Carroll County was included in a federal disaster declaration for public assistance following severe weather in early April.
“We’ve got our documentation together and will be seeking FEMA reimbursement for expenses we incurred during that period,” he said.
The Carroll County Electric Department’s next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 31, at 2:30 p.m.
