2026 Event Schedule

This transmission workshop is designed to equip utility professionals with the immediate operational tools and long-term strategic planning frameworks necessary to modernize the electric grid for the challenges of 2026 and beyond. The curriculum has been broken out into two parts with specific timing and a break in between, enabling attendees to engage with one or both pieces:

• Part 1 (9am-10:45am) will cover tactical, high-impact solutions for immediate grid challenges. This includes gaining actionable insights from utility case studies on Dynamic Line Ratings (DLR) and Power Flow Control (PFC) implementation, including real-world ROI data. The phase culminates in an interactive panel addressing the operational hurdles, regulatory acceptance, and seamless integration of all GETs (DLR, PFC, and Topology Optimization) for rapid capacity expansion and congestion relief.
  
  
• In Part 2 (11:00-12:15pm), presenters will outline details related to long-term strategy and risk management. This section provides critical insights around grid reconfigurations, what it means to integrate risk modeling into capital strategies to tackle extreme weather threats, and integrating GETs into transmission planning

This workshop moves attendees from the "how-to" of rapid capacity upgrades to the "what-if" of long-term planning, ensuring they leave with both actionable technical knowledge and a strategic roadmap for the future grid.

Part 1: Operationalizing Grid Enhancing Technologies

9:00-9:15: – The 2026 Transmission Imperative: Navigating Policy and Technology
Presenter: Max Luke

9:15 – 9:30 - Developing grid knowledge in the Pacific Northwest: How Portland General Electric is preparing the transmission grid for the future 
Presenter: Tom Cleaver 

9:30-9:45 – Modernizing the Transmission Grid for Resilient High-Load Futures
Presenter: Luke Howell 

9:45 – 10:30 - Ask Us Anything about Grid Enhancing Technologies
Moderator: Julia Selker
Panelists: Max Luke, Luke Howell, Tom Cleaver, Barbara Sevatius

10:30 - 10:45 - BREAK

Part 2: Planning for Systemic Challenges

10:45 – 11:00 – The Benefits of Allowing Market Participants to Request Grid Reconfigurations
Presenter: Pablo Ruiz

11:00 – 11:15 - Transmission Planning for Extreme Weather: Integrating Climate Risk with Data-Driven Asset Intelligence
Presenter: Don McPhail

11:15 – 11:30 – Advanced Power Flow Control: Delivering Speed to Power for Rising Load and New Connections
Presenter: Joaquin Peirano

11:30 – 12:15 - Addressing Unpredictable Loads: Data Centers, Electrification, and Advanced Forecasting Solutions
Moderator TBD
Panelists: Amir Motamedi, Joaquin Peirano, Pablo Ruiz, Don McPhail