Strategy & Planning

“We were the civil contractor on the rebuild of about 400 manholes in and around St. Louis as they were upgrading the infrastructure. We’ve also been doing other underground distribution work with Ameren Missouri running conduits.”

“We joint ventured with a competitor to bid the project, because of the city’s requirements, the proposed accelerated schedule, and the city gave an equalization advantage for local businesses.”

“It’s about recruiting and maintaining the right group of people, and I believe we’re the premier transformer contractor in the southeast U.S. Not because of me, but because of the men and women that comprise that group.”

“While DEI is a business imperative supported by data, it’s also the right thing to do, making it equally important as an altruistic investment.”

“It’s about how to have an appreciation of those differences, encourage you to be uniquely you, who you are, and bring your best authentic self into the workplace.”

Inspired by the keynote address’ title, this annual event adopted “Beyond Ordinary” as its theme. That when utilities, their contractors, and subcontractors are thinking about increasing the diversity of the workforce across the companies that help them engineer, construct, modernize, and maintain the nation’s energy infrastructure, that this thinking breaks out and goes beyond the tried and true.

We look ahead at what would be needed to meet the Princeton Net Zero report projections.

Regional transmission organizations ISO-NE, MISO, PJM, and SPP (Joint RTOs) recently issued a position paper, Strategies for Enhanced Gas-Electric Coordination: A Blueprint for National Progress. It aims to identify issues for state and federal policymakers, which if appropriately resolved, can enhance the reliability of gas-electric coordination. To find out more on this important issue, PUF brought together experts from the Joint RTOs. Listen in on the discussion with ISO-NE VP of Operations and Market Administration Pete Brandien, MISO Executive Director of Market Operations JT Smith, SPP COO Lanny Nickell, and PJM VP of Federal Government Policy Craig Glazer.

Despite the license and permitting hurdles, utilities around the country are taking a harder look at pumped storage hydro options. Potential benefits from federal tax credits might make an asset like pumped storage, which has a long asset life, more attractive as a storage option.

Hydro has been critical to the integration of renewable energy. You couldn’t build enough renewables across a portfolio or a geographic area that could provide the kind of flexibility and reliability that hydro brings.