A bevy of state and federal government partners play a role in information sharing to help electric utilities prepare for and respond to cyber threats. Discuss when and how utilities should engage these partners during a cyber event, as well as practical ways to establish trusted relationships and communication channels before an incident occurs, when time and clarity matter most.

This session will examine important lessons learned from a cyber incident response and speak to the value of cyber mutual assistance for public power utilities. Attendees will get a peek behind the curtain at the response and recovery associated with a ransomware event with actionable insights and resources that can help improve incident response planning. The session will also highlight the ESCC’s Cyber Mutual Assistance Program and provide additional information on how attendees can join this network of utility cyber professionals.

Cloud platforms outpace traditional Active Directory in both scale and complexity. Walk through how Easton Utilities developed a solution to address the resulting visibility and control challenges and improve employee provisioning, which evolved into a governance solution that improves account management, reduces costs, and provides cross-system visibility without deploying a large enterprise Identity and Access Management platform. Review what Easton learned along the way about system architecture, data integration, and governance workflow — and what that could mean for your utility’s identity oversight.

Get a peek into how public power utilities are already using artificial intelligence and how they expect it to augment operations in the near future. Hear where AI has been most helpful in their organizations, what risks remain in its use, and learn about open source AI tools utilities could leverage for cybersecurity.

Over the last decade, there has been a push to establish OT asset visibility. But what if this focus is leading us the wrong way? What exactly are we trying to accomplish and why?

This session will touch on how OT network visibility is necessary but not on its own sufficient for meaningful risk reduction. The session will also include an interactive “choose your own adventure” style scenario where the audience collectively walks through an electric incident response to illustrate key themes.
 

Explore how public power utilities are responding to a challenging insurance market while strengthening financial resilience. This session highlights rising costs, limited coverage, and increased industry complexity driven by infrastructure growth and electrification. Speakers will share practical strategies to improve risk communication with underwriters, address coverage gaps through contract structuring, and apply effective risk transfer approaches. Attendees will leave with actionable insights to reduce exposure, enhance preparedness, and support stronger long-term financial decision making.

With technological advancement and AMI, utilities have more data to understand customer behavior, develop new rates, and evaluate the effectiveness of those rates in achieving utility goals. Find out how utilities are using rate strategies like time-of-use and residential demand to better support their communities and the utility’s long-term financial stability.

Strong organizational culture requires intentional leadership, employee development, and meaningful engagement. Discover how one public power utility strengthened its workplace culture through leadership coaching, employee leadership academies, real-time feedback, and transparent compensation practices. Gain practical ideas on how investing in culture can improve recruitment and retention while creating a more connected and engaged workforce.

Hear directly from representatives from the rating agencies on how they are analyzing public power and the electric utility industry. Discuss how the suite of economic and regulatory changes over the past year and technological advances expected in the future can affect your utility’s bond ratings.

As tax policy and incentive programs continue to evolve, project economics and compliance expectations are feeling the effects. Review which of the latest developments are most relevant to public power and what policy changes mean for finance leaders, including common execution risks and areas where organizations are focusing on documentation and governance.