T&D Grid

“More than 140 years later, the industry is still working together to solve problems and share knowledge. It still needs a place where operators, engineers, planners, leaders, and stewards of the grid can come together.”

“What is often missing is not data, but memory. Utilities generate enormous amounts of operational information during major events, yet much of the reasoning behind decisions on what was tried, what worked, and what failed, fades quickly once the event passes.”

“Efficiency and customer experience benefits are hard to quantify, and regulators are increasingly wary of qualitative arguments as affordability becomes a dominant concern.”

“Until a solution is determined and implemented, dramatically increasing demand leads to dramatically increasing whole­sale prices for capacity, energy, and transmission, which is generally passed through to retail customers.”

“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.”

“Our objective is to ensure that when a utility invests capital in infrastructure, it captures the full value of that investment. Life extension complements other utility initiatives by maximizing the performance of existing assets.”

“Grid enhancing technologies (GETs) – also known as advanced transmission technologies (ATTs) – are hardware and software that can be deployed relatively quickly and cheaply to increase the efficiency of and space on the existing electricity grid.”

“AI-driven load growth is geographically concentrated and physically resource-intensive. But the principle holds: structural innovation – alongside technology – may be the unlock.”

“Combined benefits translate to financial savings and environmental advantages. Every kilowatt-hour saved through reduced line losses represents avoided generation costs and reduced emissions. Improved efficiency helps utilities maximize grid assets while minimizing costs that flow through to customers.”

“The Smart Energy Plan is a program passed through the Missouri legislature to increase reliability. A lot of our infrastructure has been around for 50 to 60 years and is getting close to end of life where it’s time to be replaced with newer, stronger, hardened infrastructure.”