Please mark your calendars for our upcoming webinar Powering Through Hurricane Helene: Utility Response & Resilience, scheduled June 18th from 12:00 to 1:30 pm ET. Hurricane Helene delivered a powerful test to the transmission and distribution (T&D) systems across the Southeastern United States, pushing utility resilience and coordination to the limit. In this session, hear firsthand from Duke Energy and Southern Company as they recount their on-the-ground experiences responding to the storm.Discover how both utilities prepared their grids ahead of the hurricane, the innovative strategies used to mitigate damage, and the rapid response efforts that restored power in the aftermath. From system hardening to coordinated restoration logistics, this session will dive into the real-world challenges and successes that defined their approach.Presenter(s): Jason Hollifield and Tyler Johnson, Duke Energy, Heather Lunsford, Southern Company

Please mark your calendars for our upcoming Wildfire Mitigation Plan Benchmarking Session scheduled for Wednesday, June 25th, from 3-5 pm ET. In this session, Wataynikaneyap Power will be sharing their responses to the Wildfire Mitigation Plan benchmarking framework using a structured set of questions aligned with California’s Utility Wildfire Mitigation Maturity Model. Session Objective: Facilitate a structured comparison of wildfire mitigation strategies across utilities to identify best practices and areas for improvement and receive structured feedback from industry peers. Through this initiative, utilities can benchmark their strategies, exchange best practices, and refine their wildfire mitigation efforts based on insights from others in the industry.

Long ago, in a galaxy far away... utilities understood how to handle long-range electric utility planning studies. Resource characteristics were well understood. Customer requirements could be forecasted with some degree of confidence. It was fairly straight-forward to produce a 20-year plan to meet projected demand and energy requirements. But that’s all changed now.The electric power sector is undergoing rapid transformation driven by decarbonization goals, electrification, policy shifts, and the adoption of emerging technologies and demand flexibility. With these and other changes impacting the industry, utilities must embrace a new approach to long-range planning studies that includes scenario analysis, risk-informed decision-making, and system resiliency assessment.Legacy planning approaches—especially siloed IRPs and isolated transmission/distribution plans—are not equipped to address system-wide resource and dynamic load interactions and uncertainties, especially when resources are sited and managed by customers. A strategic, integrated approach to planning - Integrated System Planning (ISP) - is needed to coordinate investments and operations across Generation, Transmission, and Distribution, (G/T/D) plus the customer domains.On June 25th, 1:00 - 2:30 PM Eastern Time, CEATI will host the first in a series of discussions exploring some of the fundamental questions that utilities should be considering as they prepare for this new, more complex energy future. These questions include:How are emerging technologies and customer behavior disrupting legacy planning approaches?What are the specific challenges faced by utilities that ISP can address?How is ISP different from integrated resource planning (IRP) or long-term transmission planning?What are the expected benefits and outcomes of ISP?The session, led by Gary Brinkworth, CEATI Technical Advisor will delve into these and other questions to help utilities find the balance between complexity and ease of execution, always keeping us mindful of customer needs, reliability and affordability. Gary previously worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) where he led multiple integrated resource planning studies and gained experience with advanced scenario analysis techniques and stakeholder engagement processes.

CEATI is hosting a webinar on Integrating Esri’s GIS for efficient grid modelling and grid planning: The Powerco Success Story taking place on Thursday, July 10 at 1:00 PM ET. Description: Powerco, struggled with maintaining an accurate and up-to-date grid model for network simulations in PSS®SINCAL due to manual data collection and fragmented updates from multiple sources. By integrating Esri GIS with PSS®SINCAL, Powerco centralized its geospatial data, ensuring that all simulation models were built from a single, authoritative source. This integration not only streamlined the process of updating the network model and reduced manual effort but also enabled the distribution of one consistent grid model to all connected systems. As a result, Powerco achieved significantly higher data integrity and more reliable simulation results in PSS®SINCAL, supporting better decision-making and more efficient network planning.Key Learnings:Integration Synergy:The Siemens-Esri partnership exemplifies the power of integrating GIS with grid planning software.Outcome: A holistic digital twin of the grid, enhancing planning accuracy and operational efficiency.Operational Excellence:Powerco’s implementation of the integrated solution showcases a substantial increase in asset renewal efficiency.Their approach is data-driven, effectively managing the electric network.Strategic Asset Management:The integration fosters a more strategic asset management process.Factors considered include asset age, condition, and fault history, leading to better-informed decision-makingScalable Solutions:Powerco’s success underscores the scalability of the Siemens-Esri solution.It adapts seamlessly to utilities of varying sizes and complexities, propelling them toward a future of decentralized, predictable power.Speakers: Pat Hohl, Esri and Marco Salazar, Siemens Grid Software; moderated by Finn Hoffman Linhard, Siemens Grid Software