When ice wouldn’t let go
Winter Storm Fern pummels parts of Kentucky
FOR MUCH OF KENTUCKY, Winter Storm Fern in late January and early February was a nuisance. Roads iced over and subfreezing temperatures kept some schools closed for weeks.
In Southern Kentucky, it was a disaster.
Members of electric cooperatives found themselves on the northern edge of a catastrophic ice storm that paralyzed large portions of Tennessee and Mississippi. Ice wrapped power lines, trees bent and snapped under the weight and poles failed. Of the more than 1 million Americans who lost power, 68,500 were Kentucky co-op members.
The hardest hit Kentucky co-ops, including South Kentucky RECC, Tri-County Electric, Jackson Energy and Farmers RECC got help from about 140 mutual aid personnel from more than 20 cooperatives in Kentucky and Illinois.
Several Kentucky co-ops were also able to send more than 50 other personnel to assist sister co-ops in Tennessee and Mississippi.
Why restoration takes time—and why safety comes first
After an ice storm, restoring power safely follows the same steps every time: assess the damage, clear the right-of-way, replace broken equipment, rebuild destroyed infrastructure, verify clearances and only then re-energize the line. Every step matters.
A critical safety practice is lockout-tagout, a procedure that ensures lines are fully de-energized before crews begin work. Visiting mutual aid crews—no matter how experienced—need a local lineworker present to guide switching, verify system conditions and coordinate every repair.
Co-ops restore power to all locations that can safely receive service, but if a home’s service equipment is damaged—such as a weatherhead, meter base or service entrance—electricity must remain disconnected until repairs are completed and inspected by a licensed, state-approved electrical inspector.
For most of Kentucky, Winter Storm Fern was disruptive. In the hardest hit areas, it was life-altering. And for the lineworkers, dispatchers, right-of-way crews and support staff who worked through the bitter cold conditions, it was a reminder of why the cooperative model exists: to serve local communities.
Fuel is the largest cost in making electricity
Co-op members taking a closer look at their bill after the prolonged cold snap may question one of the most misunderstood words on an electricity bill: fuel.
When you see the word “fuel” on the bill from your local electric cooperative, it is not related to what it costs your co-op to fill the tanks of its fleet of trucks. Instead, the fuel your co-op is talking about is the raw material used to generate electricity, from the coal and natural gas at fossil fuel plants to uranium at nuclear plants, to the costs to buy power from other utilities.
For consumer-members of the five co-ops that purchase power from the Tennessee Valley Authority, the line item on their bill is called the Fuel Cost Adjustment. Consumer-members of the 16 Kentucky electric distribution co-ops that own East Kentucky Power Cooperative, and the three co-ops that own Big Rivers Electric, will see Fuel Adjustment Clause (often referred to as FAC) on their bill.
These adjustments vary each month because the costs for coal, gas and purchased power vary, along with the weather. Changes in weather will dramatically change the amount of the fuel needed to generate power and the fuel charge. Both the Fuel Cost Adjustment and Fuel Adjustment Clause are designed to protect ratepayers from permanent rate adjustments when fuel costs experience temporary increases.
The fuel adjustment typically remains relatively steady, and sometimes can be a bill credit, but supply chain issues and inflationary pressures have increased the price of fuels.
Though the fuel adjustment charge is a line item on your local co-op’s bill statement, neither the co-op nor its power supplier keeps that money. The fuel charge is strictly a pass-through to pay for the fuel.
While fuel prices impact electricity market prices, the power suppliers for Kentucky make long-term plans to protect members from the short-term volatility in fuel prices.
Co-op members are encouraged to conserve energy as much as possible to help control costs.
