Nashville Utility Vows Increased Preparation for Spring Storms

Independent review underway of utility's winter storm response as it boosts tree trimming, mapping efforts

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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Nashville Electric Service officials said they are increasing mitigation efforts ahead of the spring storm season, including more aggressive tree trimming and aerial mapping, as an independent review of the utility's response to January's historic winter storm is underway. The utility's CEO acknowledged shortcomings in preparation and communication during the crisis that left over 230,000 customers without power for more than a week.

Why it matters

The winter storm response and the upcoming independent review highlight the challenges utilities face in preparing for and responding to extreme weather events, which are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change. The utility's plans to improve vegetation management and communication could help mitigate future storm impacts on the power grid and customers.

The details

Nashville Electric Service will do more extensive tree-trimming and increase the minimum clearance between trees and power lines from 10 to 15 feet. The utility will also start using Lidar technology to create a 3D map of its entire system to identify vegetation risks and undetected damaged poles. The CEO acknowledged the utility was caught flat-footed by the storm, with an internal risk assessment in November identifying 'inadequate vegetation management' as a 'high risk' issue. The utility is also seeking to hire an interim public information officer and resolve issues with its outage map and text alert system.

  • In January, a historic snow-and-ice storm left more than 230,000 Nashville Electric customers without power in below-freezing temperatures, in some cases for more than a week.
  • In November, an internal risk assessment completed by Nashville Electric identified 'inadequate vegetation management' as a 'high risk' issue.
  • Within 90 days, Nashville attorneys Aubrey Harwell and Bill Harbison will deliver a report on their independent review of the utility's response to the January winter storm.

The players

Nashville Electric Service

The utility that provides electricity to the Nashville, Tennessee area.

Teresa Broyles-Aplin

The CEO of Nashville Electric Service.

Aubrey Harwell

Nashville attorney leading the independent review of the utility's winter storm response.

Bill Harbison

Nashville attorney leading the independent review of the utility's winter storm response.

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What they’re saying

“We must have an enormous number of whole tree failures — so, whole trees falling across our lines — and then we had those trees that somewhat exploded, so they split in very unpredictable ways.”

— Teresa Broyles-Aplin, CEO, Nashville Electric Service (timesfreepress.com)

“One thing that we've realized through this storm is that internally, we don't have nearly the communications personnel that we need. We especially don't have ones that can be responsive to media inquiries and public official inquiries.”

— Teresa Broyles-Aplin, CEO, Nashville Electric Service (timesfreepress.com)

What’s next

The independent review led by Aubrey Harwell and Bill Harbison is expected to be completed within 90 days, at which point the utility's response and preparation efforts will be further evaluated.

The takeaway

The Nashville winter storm response highlights the need for utilities to proactively invest in grid resilience and communication capabilities to better prepare for and respond to extreme weather events driven by climate change. The utility's plans to boost tree trimming and mapping efforts, as well as improve public outreach, could serve as a model for other providers facing similar challenges.