Opportunities in Utility Asset Management

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.

The program covers utility grid modernization, distribution planning, ADMS and DERMS deployment, distributed energy resource management, advanced metering, battery storage, microgrids, and data-center load growth. Sessions address grid reliability and resilience, wildfire risk, cybersecurity and OT security, AI applications in planning and operations, utility communications, affordability, workforce development, and policy and regulation. Named program items include “How Are Utility CEOs Driving the Age of Acceleration?”, “How Will the Data Center Boom Define the Evolution of the Grid?”, and “US DOE Grid Modernization Investment Framework – An Effective Cost Justification for Building the Grid of the Future.”

Topics include electrical safety and high-risk work environments; serious-incident reviews and lessons learned; human performance and error reduction; contractor safety; confined-space, work-at-height, and rescue practices; and emergency response, thermal runaway, and fire preparedness for battery energy storage systems. Operations and asset-performance topics include predictive maintenance, reliability optimization, advanced analytics, major-component reliability for gearboxes, blades, inverters, and BESS, aging fleets, asset-life extension, hybrid wind, solar, and storage operations, and operational readiness and commissioning. Workforce themes include fatigue management, technician readiness, apprenticeships, cross-training, frontline leadership, knowledge transfer, and succession planning. The PowerCast Stage features practical presentations on operational experiences, demonstrations, emerging technologies, and best practices.

TechAdvantage is a conference and expo for electric cooperative engineering, operations, information technology, purchasing and supply management professionals. Its stated focus includes grid resilience, cybersecurity, data, AI and emerging technologies, with content areas spanning engineering, broadband and supply chain. Program topic areas include advanced metering, distribution automation, distributed energy resource management systems, microgrids, resiliency, EV charging and electrification, GIS, grid visibility, communications and connectivity, IT operations and cloud infrastructure. Other areas include cybersecurity, risk and regulatory compliance; data, AI and analytics; procurement, supply-chain resilience, logistics, inventory and materials management; broadband deployment, fiber and wireless technologies; disaster recovery, storm response and business continuity; and workforce strategies and load growth. The expo features technologies and solutions for electric cooperatives.

The program covers power-generation operations, grid reliability and security, project development, and changing electricity demand. Keynote sessions address supply, demand and the next build cycle; securing the grid amid AI-related threats; and reliability, readiness and the performance gap. Technical sessions include gas-turbine fleet performance and upgrade potential; advanced reactors and TRISO fuel; carbon-capture integration; battery storage and capacity-market accreditation; data-center power demand and flexibility; long-duration storage; nuclear digital modernization; renewable integration; and power-project delivery. Additional program areas include CHP, cybersecurity, grid planning, emissions, and operations and asset reliability.

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.

WEI’s largest event includes general sessions with industry leaders and keynote speakers, plus breakout programming across Asset Management, Damage Prevention, Electric Distribution, Electric Substation, Electric Transmission, Grid of the Future, Grid Resilience, Low Carbon Fuels, Natural Gas Emergency Response + Restoration, Natural Gas Integrity Management, Natural Gas Operational Excellence, Operational Leadership, Safety + Health, Safety Management Systems, and Workforce Development. The program is open to anyone in the energy industry.

Sessions address policy, regulatory, and power-supply issues affecting joint action agencies and public power utilities. Topics include affordability, reliability, load growth, member expectations, and the role of joint action agencies in supporting members. The program covers AI and data centers’ effects on electricity-demand forecasts; utility costs, procurement timelines, supply chains, and rates; advanced nuclear deployment timelines, economics, and regulatory pathways; natural-gas production, pipeline development, and supply risks; and resource adequacy, capacity markets, and regional reliability. Additional sessions address battery storage, distributed and backup generation, virtual power plants, demand response, and emerging AI applications and member services. The event is designed for CEOs and senior management of joint action agencies and state associations, board members, commissioners, and public power utilities. Select sessions may be restricted to APPA member utilities, joint action agencies, and state associations.

Public power utility leaders, including utility managers, executives, and senior leaders, exchange ideas and information with peers. The roundtable connects top-tier leaders with experts in technology, energy, and policy through collaborative, growth-oriented sessions addressing strategic challenges facing the industry and the effects of global and national trends on utilities. Registrations are limited.