Profile
Welcome to CEMC
Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation is the third largest distribution cooperative in Tennessee, serving more than 109,000 members across Cheatham, Montgomery, Robertson, Stewart and Sumner counties.
Connecting you to your best life!
We are here to help. From providing safe, reliable electric power; assisting with your insulation, heating and cooling needs; providing guidance and recommendations for solar power; delivering reliable, high-speed internet, phone and video services and more, the professionals at your local electric cooperative are here to help arm you with the knowledge and power to determine the best options you for and your home.
Our History
On April 20, 1938, the State of Tennessee granted Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation a charter to construct, maintain and operate a rural electric distribution system. Funds were to be borrowed from the REA, which at that time was only three years old.
In December of that year, CEMC purchased rural lines in Montgomery County from the Kentucky-Tennessee Light and Power Company for $90,480. In April of 1939, rural lines in the Gallatin area were secured from the same company, and in August, lines in the Portland district were bought from the Tennessee Light and Power Company.
Other purchases included the Springfield area in 1941, followed by Ashland City, Dover and Erin. Erin and Houston County lines were later sold to the Meriwether-Lewis Electric Membership Corporation, leaving CEMC to serve all or part of five counties — Cheatham, Montgomery, Robertson, Stewart and Sumner.
Many people were instrumental in organizing Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation. Of the more active ones, M.C. Northington and W.D. Hudson of Montgomery County and W.C. Jackson of Cheatham County furnished leadership in the early days. Mr. Northington served as Manager of CEMC from 1938 until he retired in 1959.
In 1938, there were only 610 members and 100 miles of line compared to a membership of 109,017 and over 8,308 miles of line in 2022. By the end of the Cooperative’s first year, CEMC was valued at $508,128. Today, the plant value of Cumberland Electric is over $555 million. In the first year of operation 3,562,177 kilowatt hours of electricity were sold to members; during 2021, sales totaled over 2.75 billion kilowatt hours.