Strategy & Planning

“I spent a significant amount of time over the past year engaging with leaders who are embracing new ways of thinking, not bound by outdated business models or legacy systems, to design and implement solutions to key challenges and to capitalize on emerging opportunities in this dynamic environment.”

“Utilities face mounting pressure to deliver reliable, resilient, and cost-effective service, while adapting to new technologies and customer expectations. Two EPRI initiatives – the Distribution System Operator (DSO) Certification Program and the Distribution Forum (DxF) – are helping utilities address this challenge.”

“No single institution has all the answers, and no organization operates in isolation. Progress depends on how well we coordinate analysis, share experiences, and translate insight into action.”

“Older communities are facing an economic and public health reckoning. We intend to address, in this first of a series, how water systems can be responsibly valued if seeking sale, merger, acquisition or consolidation.”

“Some hyperscale developers are turning to natural gas-powered on-site generation as a bridge solution, using it to secure predictable, high-capacity power while waiting for long-timeline infrastructure upgrades.”

“A central concern for regulators is that existing cost allocation frameworks are ill-suited for such sudden spikes in capacity needs, creating a risk of unwarranted subsidies from existing customers to data centers.”

“At a high level, SURFA aims to discuss the concepts, industry practices, and application of financial concepts within the energy industry, including rate of return and different forms of cost of capital.”

“According to the most recent EIA data, we’ve reduced the outages by nearly an hour – 52.6 minutes – compared to 2019. In fact, no state has made more progress in improving outage duration and grid reliability than Michigan during that time.”

“While there are a lot of data centers in Washington, the investor-owned utilities that the UTC regulates have not seen a lot of hyperscale activity yet. This puts the UTC in a good spot to think holistically and learn from other places where large loads have been interconnecting.”

The series continues with conversations with Washington Chair Brian Rybarik and Michigan Chair Dan Scripps.