Energy Solutions: A Podcast From EPSA

What will it take to meet the nation’s rising power demand? NARUC President and North Dakota Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak joins EPSA President and CEO Todd Snitchler for this episode, where she shares the initiatives that she has taken to solve the challenges facing a system being asked to perform in ways it has never had to before. Fedorchak unpacks her concerns for power grid reliability amidst a changing resource mix, and why the Peace Garden State continues to prioritize dispatchable generation. 

Electricity demand is growing for the first time in years. Are grid operators and competitive power suppliers prepared to maintain reliability while balancing decarbonization mandates? Nathan Hanson, President of LS Power Generation, believes that maintaining a healthy market for firm generation resources will be essential to meet the growing demand from data centers, manufacturing, and transportation electrification. How stakeholders address these challenges could mean the difference between economic progress or dislocation.

From New York to California, what are the top issues facing America’s electric grid? We gather leaders from the organizations representing competitive power suppliers in RTOs and ISOs throughout the nation to discuss the top stories from the past year – and what to expect in 2024 when it comes to delivering reliable electricity while reducing carbon emissions, serving rapidly rising demand, and mitigating consumer costs.

Winter is coming. Is America’s power grid ready? That’s top of mind for Chairman Willie Phillips, who heads the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. In this episode, he addresses infrastructure development and streamlining to meet growing energy demand, making sure the power system can weather extreme heat and cold, and the importance of affordability and environmental justice. But as you’ll hear, reliability remains the top priority. 

Wyoming is the top coal-producing state in the U.S. But like much of the country, the state is transitioning to new sources of energy. This comes as the region faces reliability challenges from heat, drought, and other factors. How are Wyoming and other Western states balancing the growth of lower carbon power sources with the need for a reliable grid and continued economic growth? The University of Wyoming’s Kara Fornstrom, formerly Director of State Regulatory Policy for the Southwest Power Pool and Chair of the Wyoming Public Service Commission, weighs in. 

From wildfires to winter storms to cyber and physical attacks, the power system is under greater stress than ever – all while under pressure to transition rapidly to new sources of electricity. In this episode, Todd speaks with Katherine Blunt, reporter for The Wall Street Journal and author of California Burning, a look at PG&E operations and the fallout from 2017 and 2018’s tragic wildfires. Katherine discusses the state of America’s changing electric grid and mounting reliability concerns – and the power we rely on is impacted by efforts to reduce emissions, extreme weather and climate change, and the business decisions utilities and power companies make.   

How did Ohio go from the 41st to the 7th best state for business in the nation? Among other factors, a foundation of reliable and cost-effective energy drove economic growth and helped attract businesses and employers to invest in the Buckeye State. Meanwhile, emissions have dropped while competitive energy markets have grown. In this episode, Dana Saucier of Jobs Ohio shares how energy keeps Ohio’s economic engine running.

New York has ambitious climate goals. But its electric grid operator has also recently signaled reliability warnings as power plants are driven into retirement. Diane Burman has served on the New York State Public Service Commission for nearly ten years. She joined Energy Solutions to talk about the current energy policy landscape in New York, her priorities as a regulator, and what other policymakers can learn from the Empire State.

The Western states have seen their share of challenges in recent years when it comes to electric reliability – with rolling blackouts in California, extreme drought and wildfires, and political differences across a broad geographic expanse. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation included the region on its watch list for areas that could experience electric shortages this summer should temperatures spike. We check in with Scott Miller, Executive Director of the Western Power Trading Forum, to hear what’s unique about America’s frontier, what’s ahead this summer for the region’s power grid, and how efforts to enhance reliability, cost savings, and emissions reductions by expanding organized power markets are progressing.

As the world rapidly changes and new challenges emerge, many are questioning the best way to continue providing safe, reliable, cost-effective, and cleaner power. For some, that means reforming electric power markets. For others, it could mean doing away with competition entirely. In this episode, Lynne Kiesling, an economist and expert on electric competition unpacks the complex world of power markets, their benefits as compared to a vertically integrated model, what critics get wrong, and what’s on the horizon for new energy solutions.  

How is a major natural gas power provider preparing for a decarbonized future while working to protect against reliability challenges like those faced during Winter Storms Uri and Elliott? This month, we’re rolling out audio from EPSA’s 2023 Competitive Power Summit in a special series. In this episode, hear a fireside chat with Calpine President and CEO Thad Hill and EPSA President and CEO Todd Snitchler. Calpine owns and operates the nation’s largest natural gas power generation fleet, in addition to the world’s largest geothermal power facility, while also building and planning battery storage and carbon capture and sequestration technology. Hill shares lessons from recent extreme weather events, the role for natural gas generation going forward, and needed energy market changes to enhance reliability. 

What is needed to manage a reliable power grid in today’s current landscape? Nate Hanson, president of power generation at LS Power, says we’re on the tip of doing so effectively – and calls for policies and competitive market constructs to meet rising electric demand, even as his company builds low-and-zero carbon solutions including EV charging and competitive transmission. This month, we’re rolling out audio from EPSA’s 2023 Competitive Power Summit in a special series. In this episode, hear a fireside chat with Hanson and EPSA President and CEO Todd Snitchler.   

How is major global energy company Shell preparing for a decarbonized future while meeting reliability needs today? What needs to be considered when it comes to cost, sustainability, emissions, and diversity and inclusion? This month, we’re rolling out audio from EPSA’s 2023 Competitive Power Summit in a special series. In this episode, hear a fireside chat with Shell Energy North America President and SVP of Shell Energy Americas Carolyn Comer and EPSA President and CEO Todd Snitchler. 

Cyber and physical attacks on America's power system are at their highest level in at least a decade, posing a risk to reliable electricity. The good news is that all hands are on deck when it comes to preparing for, guarding against, and responding to these threats. We check in with Manny Cancel, who leads the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center (E-ISAC), which brings together industry, government, and other stakeholders to safeguard the system and keep the lights on. He shares the latest threat landscape, what the electric sector and government are doing, and what individuals can do to protect not just their own digital property but also the electric grid.

2023 has no shortage of energy challenges, following Winter Storm Elliott's power outages, cyber and physical threats, rising costs, and continued need for innovation. EPSA Chairman and Vistra Corp. President and CEO Jim Burke joins Todd to discuss priorities for the new year, a new Congress and FERC leadership, what’s on tap for new investments, and how competitive power can lead a reliable energy transition. 

What top energy policy issues and themes stood out in 2022? We look back at key moments with Energy Solutions podcast guests as they reflect on power grid disturbances, global dynamics and Russia’s war on Ukraine, challenges facing competitive power markets, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission priorities, policy proposals like carbon pricing, and innovative new technologies as we seek to build a more reliable, affordable, and cleaner power system in 2023 and beyond.

With small gecko-like machines that scale power plant walls, founder of Gecko Robotics Jake Loosararian says technology can help solve the reliability and cost challenges facing the electric grid. He shares how his robots collect useful data to enhance the reliability of critical infrastructure, and how we can encourage American innovation to deliver a reliable and affordable energy transition. 

In July, the organization responsible for monitoring the reliability of America’s power system released a stark warning – the grid faces “unprecedented” challenges to its ability to keep the lights on. In this episode, Todd talks with Mark Lauby, senior vice president and chief engineer at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, to understand more about what’s driving reliability concerns and what’s needed to keep the lights on this winter. 

America’s power grid was pushed to the brink this summer – making system reliability even more top of mind for one of the nation’s chief energy regulators. Commmissioner Mark Christie, one of five members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, shares why he’s concerned, and what else is on his mind as FERC weighs how to address electricity costs, infrastructure needs, carbon emissions, competitive power markets, and cybersecurity. 

After the passage of the most expansive energy policy in years through the Inflation Reduction Act, what's next for lawmakers on Capitol Hill when it comes to the nation's power grid? Ohio Rep. Troy Balderson talks with Todd about why power grid reliability is critical, how he forges bipartisan connections to get priorities into legislation, and why industry innovation can deliver energy solutions.