National Conference

The conference brings public power leaders together to exchange strategies and explore solutions for long-term success. Its content addresses how changing policy, technology, and lifestyles are reshaping the energy industry and communities, alongside an Industry Innovations Expo.

The conference is for public power professionals who design, develop, and maintain the electric system. Program themes include Environmental, Generation & Fuels; Grid Modernization; Transmission & Distribution; Reliability & Resilience; and Safety. The audience includes vice presidents, superintendents, directors, managers, engineers, safety and training specialists, electric utility directors, city managers, and emerging leaders.

Public power utility leaders meet with experts in technology, energy, and policy. Attendance is limited to facilitate productive dialogue. Sessions address shifts in the global energy landscape, including the energy transition, energy security, geopolitical and economic competition, and investment in energy infrastructure, renewable technologies, nuclear power, and fossil fuels. Other discussions examine reliability and affordability amid growing demand, rising costs, regulatory pressures, and customer expectations; resource adequacy, infrastructure investment, workforce challenges, supply-chain constraints, and emerging technologies; and leadership through outages, cyber incidents, severe weather, safety emergencies, and public scrutiny. The program also explores AI and other emerging technologies, including their utility applications and questions around governance, cybersecurity, workforce impacts, and risk management. Additional topics include evaluating and integrating significant new loads, generation and infrastructure investments, contracts and rate protections, aligning economic development with the public power mission, and workforce development, succession planning, leadership training, and knowledge transfer.

Sessions cover Environmental, Generation & Fuels; Grid Modernization; Transmission & Distribution; and Reliability & Resilience. Conference attendees can also attend sessions in the concurrent Safety Summit. The conference focuses on practices for building and maintaining safe, reliable electric systems, and includes the Public Power NextTech Expo. The 2027 agenda has not been published.

Annual conference and thought leadership forum with keynote discussions and breakouts focused on forces shaping the electric power industry. The intended audience includes electric company executives, government leaders, technology partners and innovators, policymakers, regulators, and industry stakeholders.

The conference covers public power accounting and finance, human resources, rates and pricing, and risk management. Attendees may also attend concurrent summit sessions focused on public power cybersecurity and technology, including current practices, AI tools, utility resources, trends, and threats. The 2027 agenda is expected in early 2027.

Industry leaders and commissioners discuss issues facing the electric, natural gas, water, and telecommunications industries. The program includes a CEO and Industry Leaders Panel on “The Future of the Industry” and a Commissioner Grill where conference participants submit questions to moderators.

The gathering focuses on cooperative leadership and the changing energy landscape, including emerging technologies, rising demand, and shifting consumer expectations. Programming includes general sessions, education sessions on emerging issues, innovations, and strategies, an Expo featuring industry technologies and services, and the annual member business meeting. Voting members consider proposed resolutions and amendments to NRECA bylaws through the member resolutions process, which includes a Proposed Resolutions Forum.

A conference and expo for electric cooperative engineering, operations, information technology, purchasing, and supply management professionals. Themes include engineering, broadband, supply chain, and technologies for the electric cooperative industry.