Paul Lau, CEO and General Manager of California public power utility SMUD, and Texas public power utility CPS Energy recently received Smart Electric Power Alliance 2026 Power Player Awards.
This year, SEPA received nearly 130 award nominations from across the energy ecosystem — utilities, corporations, project teams, and individuals — reflecting the depth of innovation driving the energy transition, it said.
Winners and finalists were selected through an impartial scoring process conducted by a diverse panel of industry and subject matter experts. Judges included leaders from utilities, national and international energy organizations, and SEPA staff with deep expertise across the energy sector.
The evaluation process focused on innovation, collaboration, replicability, and scalability.
Winners were honored at the 2026 Power Player Awards Dinner on May 19, 2026, in Washington, D.C., co-located with SEPA’s Energy Evolution Summit.
In the Individual Achievement Awards category, Lau received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
“SEPA is proud to recognize Paul Lau with the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of his nearly 45 years at SMUD, including his tenure as CEO and General Manager,” it said.
Under his leadership, SMUD launched its ambitious 2030 Zero Carbon Plan -- the most aggressive carbon reduction goal of any large utility in the United States -- while maintaining rates approximately 50% below neighboring investor-owned utilities, SEPA noted.
"A visionary champion of collaboration, Lau pioneered innovative programs, secured significant zero-carbon resources, and helped position Sacramento as a national hub for clean energy innovation. Through his strategic leadership at both SMUD and as Chair of SEPA’s Board of Directors, Lau has left an enduring mark on the industry and the communities he served with deep commitment to public service," SEPA said.
“It’s been the honor of my lifetime to lead SMUD and to serve our community for more than four decades. SMUD’s purpose is to improve the quality of life for our customers and community, and SMUD is positioned to continue delivering on that for the 1.5 million people we serve, through strong financial management, low rates, reliable service, visionary clean energy goals, innovative customer programs, community investment, a strong Board of Directors, and dedicated, smart and passionate employees. SMUD is well placed to continue to lead the utility industry and our region for decades to come,” said Lau.
SEPA named CPS Energy the 2026 Growth Power Player of the Year for its strategic acquisition of 1,632 megawatts of natural gas generation to meet the San Antonio region’s accelerating energy demand.
By securing modern, dispatchable capacity at approximately half the cost of building comparable generation assets, the utility executed a proactive infrastructure strategy that saved an estimated $2 billion and avoided significant inflationary and supply chain risks, SEPA said. "These dual-fuel capable facilities stabilize customer costs and support regional economic development while offering future hydrogen blending potential to align with the utility’s broader clean energy goals."
This collaborative effort -- supported by cross-functional internal teams, the CPS Energy Board of Trustees, and the San Antonio City Council -- "serves as a scalable model for other public power organizations to address resource adequacy through disciplined financial planning, stakeholder coordination, and long-term infrastructure strategy," SEPA said.
