Agenda

Keynote: Growing Risk and Challenges - Meeting the Demands of Load Growth
Get the latest update from the Department of Energy on how it views and supports reliability and resource adequacy across the energy sector. Discuss how executive orders and other actions are affecting generating unit retirements and development and where the administration plans to go from here. 

Dive into how the RTO-operated electricity markets are tackling the latest priorities, from changing capacity markets to forecasting large load growth and addressing increasing prices. Discuss how efforts in PJM, MISO, SPP and others might affect your operations or expected costs for transmission and the likely impacts to residential customers.

Explore both the potential across new gas generation technologies and the outlook for established generating assets. Discuss what options you can weigh for affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy that supports your service areas while minimizing risk. Discuss how we can use existing assets to go higher, faster and longer. More megawatts, better fuel consumption, and more years of generation.

Get debriefed on the latest environmental regulation changes and how the latest guidance and rules affect what you’re required to do to meet the challenges related to growing load, resource adequacy, and affordability for your member communities.

Take a top-level look at the future of data centers, from what’s actually being built to what demand is expected in the coming years and factors that could affect data center load. Hear from your colleagues dealing with large data centers and discuss how JAAs and your members can work with these large loads without assuming overwhelming financial risk, negatively affecting credit ratings, or undermining grid security.

Explore what joint action agencies are doing to keep up with the growth in a wise,  prudent manner. Learn how other joint action agencies are deploying strategies such as acquiring old units, upgrading existing generation, delaying coal plant retirements and building new generation.

Utilities are dealing with different challenges, threats, and opportunities in how they serve their communities, and joint action agencies are well-positioned to help members with new services and structures. Review how a panel of JAAs have dealt with changes in the industry and how they connect with members to support them in new ways. Discuss the pros and cons of different aspects of the various JAA models, including the benefits and potential vulnerabilities with full requirements contracts and project-based members.

Generating assets aren’t the only thing being built — there are also numerous transmission projects in the works. Take a look at the outlook for these projects both across the country and in each region, including the expected economic impact for JAAs, utilities, and individual customers. Review what will be built and how transmission costs are expected to change.

Gain insight into power prepays, including what they can encompass, when you should consider them, and what else to know to take full advantage of these opportunities for your members.