Gov. Bill Lee presses Nashville Electric Service for clearer updates and faster power restoration after ice storm

State officials raise concerns as outages persist after Winter Storm Fern

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has urged Nashville Electric Service (NES) to improve customer communication and provide greater transparency about restoration progress following Winter Storm Fern, an ice and snow event that caused widespread damage across Middle Tennessee.

In a statement released Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, Lee said he shared concerns directly with NES leadership and expects both communication with customers and restoration performance to improve. He emphasized the need for clearer timelines for when electricity will be restored, neighborhood-by-neighborhood information on work completion, and more detail on how many line workers are deployed.

Scale of disruption and restoration challenges

NES reported that the storm produced the largest outage in the utility’s history, with approximately 230,000 customers without service at the peak. The outages were driven largely by ice accumulation, downed trees, and broken poles that damaged distribution circuits across the service area.

Public updates during the week indicated restoration could extend into the following week for some customers as crews worked in below-freezing conditions. Local emergency management also warned early in the event that the volume of calls overloaded reporting systems, and residents were directed away from 911 for outage reporting except in emergencies such as fires or downed power lines.

Coordination with city and state response

Lee said he has been in daily contact with Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell and that the state has continued providing support through multiple agencies, including the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and the Tennessee National Guard.

O’Connell has separately acknowledged that NES increased its field workforce substantially during the response, while also stating that residents needed more precise and localized information than many felt they were receiving.

Issues highlighted by the storm response

• Customer communications: state and local leaders have called for clearer restoration timelines and more specific neighborhood-level updates.

• Workforce visibility: leaders have pressed for more transparency about the number of crews and line workers operating in the field and where they are deployed.

• Mutual aid and operational policy: the response drew scrutiny over how outside assistance was handled alongside worker-safety requirements during hazardous conditions.

Lee said the state will continue tracking restoration progress and plans further discussions on how to ensure an efficient local response going forward.

With portions of the region still recovering days after the storm, Lee’s statement signals increased pressure on the utility to pair large-scale field operations with clearer public-facing information as customers seek predictable timelines and detailed progress reporting.