Mississippi Electricity Rates
Mississippi’s average residential electricity rate is 13.5¢/kWh—about 25% below the national average. Yet the story is not one utility: the state is carved among Entergy Mississippi (central and west), Mississippi Power / Southern Company (southeast), TVA distributors (northeast), and roughly 20 rural electric cooperatives. It is also home to the $7.5 billion Kemper “clean coal” failure—one of the largest utility debacles in American history—and to Grand Gulf, the largest single-unit nuclear reactor in the U.S.
Mississippi’s Grid: Three Utilities, One State
Mississippi is not a single electricity market. Like Alabama, it is split among different parent companies, rate designs, and regulators—only here the dominant investor-owned player is Entergy Mississippi (related to Entergy’s Louisiana operations), the Gulf Coast is Mississippi Power under Southern Company, and the northeastern corner sits in TVA territory (see Tennessee for TVA detail). Two neighbors a few dozen miles apart can have different wholesale suppliers, different fuel mixes, and different monthly bill components.
Entergy Mississippi serves the state’s population core—roughly 460,000 customers across central and western Mississippi, including Jackson, Vicksburg, and Natchez. Rates have been relatively stable and roughly 20% below the national average, supported by gas-fired generation, ties to Entergy’s broader system, and the massive Grand Gulf nuclear station (discussed below).
Mississippi Power covers southeastern Mississippi—about 195,000 customers in and around Hattiesburg, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula. It is a Southern Company subsidiary, sharing DNA with Alabama Power and Georgia Power. That coastal footprint matters: shipbuilding, military bases, and petrochemical load sit alongside residential air conditioning demand.
TVA territory captures northeastern Mississippi—communities such as Tupelo, Columbus, and Corinth—where local distributors purchase wholesale power from the Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA’s federal structure and financing mean retail experiences there diverge from Entergy’s and Mississippi Power’s.
Layered across the map are about 20 electric cooperatives serving rural members. Together, this patchwork defines everything from economic development incentives to whose logo is on your outage map.
Three Systems, One State
Entergy Mississippi (central / west): Largest IOU by customer count; links to Entergy’s multi-state portfolio; Grand Gulf nuclear is a major asset.
Mississippi Power (southeast): Southern Company subsidiary; Gulf Coast industry and the legacy of the Kemper project shape its story.
TVA (northeast): Wholesale power to local distributors; different governance than the Mississippi PSC-regulated IOUs.
Rural electric cooperatives: Member-owned utilities across agricultural and timber country—often the only wires in low-density counties.
Mississippi’s Electric Utilities
Entergy dominates by customer count, but Mississippi Power anchors the fast-growing Gulf region. TVA covers the northeast. Electric cooperatives knit together much of rural Mississippi—two of the larger examples are highlighted below alongside the major IOUs.
Entergy Mississippi is the state’s largest electric utility by customer count. Its territory includes the capital region and much of the western corridor toward the River. Rates have been stable and roughly 20% below the national average. Grand Gulf nuclear provides baseload; gas turbines and market purchases fill the stack. For Entergy’s broader Gulf footprint, see Louisiana electricity rates.
Mississippi Power is the Southern Company subsidiary for southeastern Mississippi. Its service area includes major military and shipbuilding load on the Gulf Coast. The utility is inseparable from the Kemper County project—the failed gasification plant that became a textbook case of cost overrun and stranded technology (Section 03).
Northeastern Mississippi lies within the Tennessee Valley Authority service area. Local public power entities and cooperatives buy wholesale from TVA and sell retail. If you are comparing Tennessee electricity rates with Mississippi, remember TVA customers in both states pull from the same federal generation and transmission backbone.
Coast Electric Power Association is one of the larger distribution cooperatives along the Gulf Coast, serving residential, commercial, and industrial members in a hurricane-exposed region. Co-ops often blend wholesale power costs, storm hardening investments, and demand-management programs differently than neighboring IOUs.
Singing River Electric serves members across parts of southeastern Mississippi’s pine belt and coastal hinterland. Like other distribution co-ops, it is governed by an elected board and returns margins to members over time through capital credits.
~20 Electric Cooperatives
Beyond the major IOUs and TVA distributors, roughly 20 electric cooperatives serve rural Mississippi. They are often the only integrated provider in low-density counties, carry significant storm-restoration costs, and participate in statewide programs for energy efficiency and economic development. Together they serve a material share of the state’s roughly 2.9 million residents.
The Kemper Disaster: America’s Biggest Clean Coal Failure
In Kemper County, Mississippi Power bet billions on a first-of-a-kind integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant that would gasify local lignite coal, capture carbon, and produce cleaner power. The original budget was on the order of $2.4 billion. The final price tag approached $7.5 billion. The core gasification technology never worked as promised; schedules slipped year after year.
After nearly a decade of struggle, regulators allowed Mississippi Power to abandon coal gasification and run the site essentially as a conventional natural gas plant. The Mississippi Public Service Commission ultimately pushed the company to absorb a large share of the write-down—on the order of $6.4 billion in losses to shareholders—but ratepayers still paid billions in financing and related costs tied to the project. Independent analysts and utility historians routinely cite Kemper among the worst utility investments in U.S. history: a cautionary tale about technology risk, regulatory capture, and cost recovery politics.
Kemper by the Numbers
These figures summarize why Kemper became a national symbol of stranded technology and runaway capital costs.
Bottom line: Kemper was supposed to redefine coal; instead it redefined how regulators and investors price technology risk. The plant’s legacy still shapes PSC proceedings and public trust in utility leadership.
Grand Gulf Nuclear Station
Grand Gulf Nuclear Station, owned by Entergy, sits in Claiborne County along the Mississippi River. Its single reactor is rated at about 1,400 MW—making it the largest single-unit nuclear reactor in the United States by capacity. The station provides roughly 10% of Mississippi’s electricity generation and feeds wholesale power into Entergy’s multi-state portfolio across the Gulf South.
For residential customers, Grand Gulf matters because it supplies carbon-free baseload that helps anchor fuel diversity: when gas prices spike, nuclear output does not move with Henry Hub. It also means Mississippi’s grid story is not only gas turbines and coastal load—it includes one of the country’s most significant nuclear assets.
Approximate shares reflect recent EIA-style summaries; year-to-year fuel mix shifts with gas prices, weather, and outages.
Why Grand Gulf Matters to Ratepayers
Grand Gulf is a baseload anchor for Entergy’s system. Its output supports reliability when summer peaks strain gas plants and transmission. Any major outage or relicensing milestone can affect wholesale costs that flow through to retail rates—another reason Mississippi’s pricing is tied to regional fleet economics, not just local gas demand.
Has Mississippi Considered Deregulation?
No meaningful retail electricity deregulation has taken hold in Mississippi. The Mississippi Public Service Commission continues to regulate investor-owned utilities’ rates, fuel clauses, and infrastructure programs. After Kemper, trust in utility management cratered—but the policy response was tighter regulatory scrutiny and prudence reviews, not retail choice.
Mississippi is the poorest U.S. state by median income. Many policymakers view competitive retail markets as a gamble for households with thin budgets and limited switching literacy. Maintaining universal service obligations and consolidated utility planning is still the dominant paradigm—even as large customers sometimes lobby for incremental flexibility.
Neighboring Texas offers a sharp contrast: full retail competition in most of ERCOT. Mississippi’s political economy has not mirrored that experiment.
States Where You Can Choose Your Electricity Provider
Mississippi’s regulated market means you cannot shop competitive electricity suppliers the way Texans can. If you want retail choice, these deregulated states offer competitive electricity markets:
Texas · Pennsylvania · Ohio · Illinois · New York · New Jersey · Connecticut · Maryland
Mississippi Business Electricity Rates
Commercial rates near 12.7¢/kWh help Mississippi compete for employers, especially when paired with Gulf logistics and federal installations. Major loads include military bases, shipbuilding, automotive assembly, and poultry processing—all of which run compressors, ovens, paint lines, and cold storage around the clock.
Military & Federal
Keesler Air Force Base (Biloxi), Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg, and Stennis Space Center on the Pearl River anchor federal demand with secure, high-reliability power requirements. These installations support tens of thousands of jobs and steady baseload.
Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula builds U.S. Navy destroyers and amphibious assault ships. Steel cutting, welding halls, and paint curing demand enormous electricity and premium power quality.
Automotive
Nissan in Canton and Toyota in Blue Springs represent high-volume assembly and supplier parks. Paint shops and stamping presses are intensive electricity users; negotiated industrial tariffs and riders matter for competitiveness.
Poultry & Agriculture
Mississippi is a top poultry state; Sanderson Farms (headquartered in Laurel before its acquisition) symbolizes the sector. Hatcheries, feed mills, and processing plants run ventilation and refrigeration 24/7—classic rural co-op and IOU industrial load.
How to Lower Your Mississippi Electricity Bill
With a hot, humid climate, cooling dominates residential use. The fastest savings usually come from reducing kWh, not chasing alternative suppliers—Mississippi remains regulated.
Weatherization & Moisture Control
Humidity plus leaky ducts and thin insulation drives bills up. Seal attic penetrations, add ceiling insulation to current IECC levels where feasible, and ensure your HVAC removes moisture effectively. A whole-home assessment often pays for itself in one or two summers.
Smart Thermostat Discipline
Raise cooling setpoints when you are away, use fan circulation strategically, and avoid thermostat wars. Each degree of overcooling can add measurable kWh in August.
Entergy Rebates & Programs
Entergy Mississippi periodically offers efficiency incentives for qualifying heat pumps, insulation, and commercial equipment. Check the utility’s current rebate tables—programs change annually.
Solar Potential
Mississippi receives 210+ sunny days per year. Rooftop solar can offset afternoon cooling peaks, but review interconnection rules, fixed charges, and buyback credits with your specific utility or co-op before signing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mississippi Electricity
What is the average electricity rate in Mississippi?
Mississippi’s average residential rate is 13.5¢/kWh as of April 2026—about 25% below the national average of 18.05¢/kWh. Commercial rates average near 12.7¢/kWh. Actual bills depend on your utility (Entergy Mississippi, Mississippi Power, TVA distributor, or a cooperative).
What happened with Kemper?
Mississippi Power’s Kemper County project was a $7.5 billion integrated gasification plant meant to gasify lignite coal with carbon capture. Costs exploded from roughly $2.4 billion, the gasification technology never worked reliably, and the site was ultimately converted to run as a conventional natural gas plant. The Mississippi PSC pushed Mississippi Power to absorb on the order of $6.4 billion in losses, but ratepayers still funded billions in related costs. It is widely cited as one of the worst utility investments in U.S. history.
What is Grand Gulf?
Grand Gulf Nuclear Station is Entergy’s ~1,400 MW reactor in Claiborne County—the largest single-unit nuclear reactor in the United States. It provides roughly 10% of Mississippi’s generation and supports Entergy’s broader Gulf South wholesale system.
Is Mississippi a deregulated electricity state?
No. Mississippi remains fully regulated. The Mississippi Public Service Commission oversees investor-owned utilities. You generally cannot choose a competitive retail electricity supplier the way customers can in Texas. After Kemper, policymakers emphasized regulatory enforcement over market opening.
Is part of Mississippi served by TVA?
Yes. Northeastern Mississippi—including Tupelo, Columbus, and Corinth—is served by TVA local distributors that purchase wholesale federal power. That region’s rates and governance differ from Entergy Mississippi and Mississippi Power. See our Tennessee electricity page for more TVA context.
Who are the major electric utilities in Mississippi?
Entergy Mississippi (~460,000 customers) serves central and western Mississippi. Mississippi Power (~195,000 customers) serves the southeast Gulf region. TVA distributors cover the northeast. Roughly 20 electric cooperatives serve rural members statewide—examples include Coast Electric and Singing River Electric.
What is the average monthly electric bill in Mississippi?
Households average roughly $165/month. Per-kWh rates are about 25% below the U.S. average, but hot, humid summers push air-conditioning kWh higher than in milder climates.
Why are Mississippi rates below the national average?
Natural gas generation, Grand Gulf nuclear baseload, and regulated utility cost recovery have kept retail rates competitive. Rural cooperatives and TVA distributors add regional variation, but the statewide average remains below the national mean despite high cooling loads.
About this Data
Rate data is sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Mississippi Public Service Commission (MS PSC), Entergy Mississippi, Mississippi Power, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the ElectricChoice.com electric rate marketplace. Last data refresh: April 2026.
