South Mississippi Electric Power Association's sole purpose is to provide affordable and reliable electric energy to its 11 Member-owner electric power associations. This mission is accomplished through focusing on the core fundamentals of power generation, power purchasing, power delivery, and fuel risk mitigation. South Mississippi Electric's professional employees are focused on providing value to the Member systems by achieving the highest levels of safety, economy and reliability.

South Mississippi Electric generates, transmits and sells electric energy on a wholesale basis to 11 Member distribution cooperatives. These Member systems own and maintain approximately 54,500 miles of distribution line and provide service to more than 400,000 homes and businesses in 56 of Mississippi's 82 counties (nearly 2/3 of the state's land mass).

South Mississippi Electric and its Members are consumer-owned, not-for-profit businesses; therefore, the rates of South Mississippi Electric reflect only the cost of supplying wholesale electric energy to these rural electric systems. The organization's headquarters is located on Highway 49 North in Hattiesburg.

The base load generating fleet of South Mississippi Electric includes a coal-fired plant near Purvis and a 10 percent undivided interest in the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station in Port Gibson. Gas-fired generation facilities, utilized to meet intermediate and peak demand, include steam and combustion turbine units near Moselle and a total of eight combustion turbine units located at Sylvarena, Silver Creek, Benndale, and Paulding. The modern transmission system delivers electric energy through 1,678 miles of high-voltage transmission lines.