The Gold Standard
Gil Quiniones has served as president and CEO of the New York Power Authority, the nation’s largest state-owned electric utility, since 2011. He is responsible for developing and implementing the statewide utility’s strategic vision and mission and for supervising its operations, legal and financial matters and relationships with external stakeholders. Before joining NYPA in 2007 as EVP of energy marketing and corporate affairs, Quiniones served in several positions in the administration of New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, including more than four years as senior vice president of energy and telecommunications.
Employees at the New York Power Authority have gotten used to hearing me talk about going on a journey. However, I don't regale them with tales about how I spent my summer vacation. Instead, I talk about NYPA's travels across the energy landscape as we move closer to becoming North America's first end-to-end digital utility.
It has been an exciting ride so far. One way we manage to avoid the potholes is with a comprehensive asset management strategy. As the energy market changes, so do the needs of customers. That means we have to translate those needs to how we operate.
Proper asset management guides everything we do. That is why NYPA was excited last year to be recognized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which certified that NYPA met the most rigorous standards for asset management for utilities. NYPA was the first electric utility in North America to receive this coveted designation.
By any measure, this is a big deal. The ISO issues globally recognized requirements to establish the gold standard for asset management practices. The one NYPA was cited for meeting, known as ISO 55001, was sought not to claim bragging rights over other utilities, but to help us exceed our already-high standards. ISO purposely sets its bar very high. NYPA was up to the challenge.