“I hope we don’t fail to maintain infrastructure; whether it’s distribution, transmission, generation, and adequate reinvestment to keep up these resources. We have to balance the interests as those are important, but we don’t want to over-engage and overspend needlessly.”

“We’re going to need wide-ranging types of support, perhaps looking at creative partnerships among utilities and other stakeholders for assignment of costs to the cost causers and beneficiaries of service, because sometimes those may not be the direct customers of a regulated utility.”

“For me to say capacity shortages, it’s breathtaking. But we are learning every day that as artificial intelligence is being used across the corporate business spectrum, its processing needs are so much greater than anything we’ve seen.”

“Whether explaining to elected officials or the public, we need to describe what encompasses flicking that light switch on the wall, all the components to ensuring energy reliability, and how Arizona is faring."

Ten Commissioners from varied parts of the nation answered these questions: What are the most important needs for electric power infrastructure? What are your greatest concerns about infrastructure? How should utility regulation adjust to these needs and concerns, if at all? How different will electric power infrastructure be in the year 2040?

Like the space program, the drive to decarbonize is encountering many unsolved problems. Each has the potential to prevent a smooth landing.

The challenge is to modernize these systems without imposing undue costs on consumers, balancing fiscal responsibility with the imperative for technological advancement.

A dialogue with TENTIL award winner Nino Ficca and EEI CEO Dan Brouillette.