Schneider Electric's Pivotal Role in the NFL's Newest Arena

While the Tennessee Titans' NFL form may not have been the best of late, the Nashville-based franchise will soon have one of the world's most high-tech stadiums to call home.

Over the past two years, the Titans have been undergoing something of a rebuild both on and off the field, with big changes in the squad, coaching staff and stadium.

Construction on the team's new, state-of-the-art Nissan Stadium, which sits right in the heart of Nashville on the banks of the Cumberland River, first began in February 2024.

Costing an estimated US$2.1bn, it is set to be one of the most expensive sporting arenas ever built.

It isn't just the architecture and capacity that will make it so impressive either.

In March 2025, the Titans announced that Schneider Electric had come onboard as the project's official energy management partner, with aims to make the Nissan Stadium one of the world's most advanced and sustainable sporting venues.

Now, almost a year on from the beginning of the partnership, the project team has provided some updates on their progress.

Building strong foundations

When the Titans move into their new home in the spring of 2027, the building's ability to stay powered through a grid outage will rest on a system of four electrical substation vaults, one positioned at field level in each quadrant of the structure.

Each vault is able to hold around five megawatts of capacity.

Kellen DeCoursey, who is the Project Executive on the Titans' Nissan Stadium development, has provided a fresh look at how that infrastructure is taking shape, one year out from the expected completion.

In a recently published video from the stadium, Kellen gives some of the most specific detail yet on Schneider Electric's contribution to the build.

"Thanks to these switch gears and our transfer switches provided by Schneider Electric, the stadium is able to deliver uninterrupted power supply to the building," he says, while in one of the arena's substations.

Should the mains supply fail, automatic transfer switches will activate three generators per quadrant to maintain continuity – a contingency arrangement that reflects the scale of what the stadium is expected to host, from NFL fixtures and Tennessee State University games to concerts or showcases.

Getting ahead of the supply chain

One of the less-discussed challenges in projects of this size is procurement timing, and Kellen indicates that collaborating with Schneider early on in the construction was central to keeping things on track.

"Working with Schneider Electric as a partner on the project, we were able to coordinate early on in the design phase to ensure that we had the right equipment in order to make sure that we avoided heavy lead times that hinder projects of this size," he says.

It is a practical point that speaks to a wider issue in large-scale construction, where electrical equipment shortages have caused significant delays on major infrastructure projects in recent years.

The scope of the partnership

When Schneider was formally announced as the stadium's energy management partner last year, the French firm committed to a five-year engagement beginning with the venue's opening.

Beyond the substation infrastructure, Schneider's remit covers electrical power distribution and control systems, IT physical infrastructure, clean uninterruptible backup power and an integrated building management system.

The targets set out at the time of the announcement were a 20% reduction in energy consumption and a 30% reduction in operational downtime – figures that, if achieved, would represent a meaningful step for a venue of this scale.

The approximately 2.1-million-square-foot facility is projected to generate over US$33.7bn in economic impact for the Nashville economy over the next 30 years, according to the Titans.

Roots in Tennessee

Schneider Electric has sought to emphasise that several of the technologies being deployed in the stadium are manufactured in Tennessee, where the company operates facilities in Franklin, Smyrna and Mt. Juliet, as well as a global research and development centre.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee welcomed that dimension of the partnership.

"I'm proud that Schneider Electric will serve as the Official Energy Management Partner of the new Nissan Stadium using several innovative technologies manufactured right here in Tennessee," Lee said at the partnership's launch.

Elsewhere, Michelle Hix, who is the Vice President of Strategic Customers at Schneider Electric, sees the company's contribution in terms of the fan experience.

"It takes reliable, safe, energy efficient power to deliver outstanding fan experiences all season long," she says. "Titan up!"

The stadium is scheduled for completion in February 2027, with the five-year partnership set to run from opening day.