Puerto Rico: What to Expect
Ann Rendahl is the current President of NARUC, leading the organization of state utility regulators and serving on its Executive Committee and Board. She is also a commissioner on the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC), first appointed in 2014 and reappointed through January 2027. Rendahl participates in key industry groups, including the Southwest Power Pool’s Markets+ States Committee and advisory councils for EPRI and several university utility programs. Before joining the UTC, she held senior legal and policy roles there. She holds degrees from Wellesley College, UC Berkeley, and UC Law San Francisco.
Paul Kjellander is PUF Senior Advisor, former NARUC and Idaho Commission President.
Puerto Rico offers a timely setting for the NARUC 2026 Annual Meeting and Education Conference in November, serving as a real-world case study for utility infrastructure reliability and resilience nearly a decade after major hurricanes devastated the island. Framed by NARUC President Ann Rendahl’s overarching theme of “Uniting Regulators, Harmonizing Impact,” as well as her subtheme on “Advancing Reliable and Resilient Infrastructure,” the conference will address challenges of affordability, rapid infrastructure deployment, meeting customer needs, and much more.
The conference will feature an adapted schedule, moving between the main hotel and convention center to host general sessions, committee meetings, and targeted concurrent tracks. Attendees will engage with high-level keynotes, including expected addresses from Puerto Rican leadership, the Department of Energy, and LUMA Energy, alongside sessions covering microgrids, virtual power plants, grid optimization, transmission, and multi-sector resilience spanning electricity, water, gas, and telecommunications.
There also will be an emphasis on hands-on community engagement and cross-state collaboration. PUF Senior Advisor and former NARUC President Paul Kjellander discussed with NARUC President and Washington Commissioner Ann Rendahl why this is a must-attend conference that will provide actionable insights to bring home.