Strategy & Planning

This panel at CAMPUT 2024 on Building and Maintaining Trust: The Art and Craft of Today's Communication, examined how in today's energy sector dynamic landscape, effective communication is key to building and maintaining trust. Public trust drives participation in regulatory processes and enhances credibility. This session delved into innovative strategies and platforms.

This panel, Incentivize and Optimize: A Paradigm Shift in Rate Design, discussed new approaches to rate design. How can the abundance of data now available be used to inform decision making? How can or should rate design influence customer behavior to optimize the use of energy resources and the energy transition?

“Our service area is among the lowest cost of living in the country, and we play a big role with our low rates. Our rates need to stay attractive. We’re investing in opportunities to make our communities better so we can continue to widen that competitive advantage we have with our rates.”

That’s the Median for Commissioners and Chairs.

“EPRI recently launched the Distribution Forum (DxF), a collective of leading distribution companies, which aim to drive excellence in the safe, reliable, resilient, and cost-effective operation of electric distribution companies.”

“To achieve integration and widespread adoption of BESS requires a collaborative and multi-pronged approach. In addition to technological innovation, there needs to be regulatory support, financial investment, and cultivation of a skilled workforce adept in managing these new systems.”

“We want to be known as the go-to engineering company. The Minnesota Vikings are the only ones we work for outside of the solar market. We see unique niche engineering specialties within what we do, like SCADA.”

“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.”