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Large commercial and industrial customers play a critical role in the health and vibrancy of public power communities — but what do they really need from their local utility? In this engaging panel, hear directly from major energy users about their expectations, priorities, and experiences partnering with public power utilities. Reflect on what matters most to businesses when it comes to reliability, communication, rates, sustainability goals, and long‑term planning.

Get a practical roadmap for planning, deploying, and operating modern reciprocating engine (RICE) plants for public power. This session highlights why fast start engines provide flexible, dispatchable capacity and support peak reliability, black start capability, and microgrids for critical services. Presenters will compare technology and procurement decisions through a municipal lens, share key commissioning lessons and performance metrics, and show how data driven remote support can improve availability and reduce outages.

In challenging moments — whether navigating workforce pressures, rising customer expectations, or full-scale utility crises — communication is the backbone of effective leadership. In high‑stress situations, communicators and leaders often operate at the intersection of urgency, fear, and intense public scrutiny. Discuss the principles of strategic communication and crisis leadership to help you better cut through the noise, focus on the signals that truly matter, and guide your organization with clarity, confidence, and empathy.

Gas-fired generation remains a cornerstone of reliability for power producers nationwide — but the market is changing fast. Accelerating load growth, evolving emissions requirements, and shifting market signals are reshaping how gas plants are planned, built, and operated. Take a focused look at the gas generation landscape and its implications for public power utilities. Hear an EPC contractor’s perspective on what’s driving costs and development timelines, and what practical considerations utilities evaluating gas resources should weigh.

Fleet electrification is transforming the energy landscape and public power utilities are uniquely positioned to lead this change. Hear about new initiatives in fleet electrification, including buses, trains, and more. Explore how collaboration and a willingness to rethink traditional approaches can lead to success for utilities, municipal leaders, contractors, EV manufacturers, and funding partners alike. Discuss possibilities and ideas for working across sectors to navigate the challenges and opportunities of electrification.

As data center and other high‑density load requests grow nationwide, public power utilities are facing new challenges around resource adequacy, system planning, and community expectations. Hear from utilities that are already working with data centers about what’s working, what’s changing, and what to watch for. Discuss how to evaluate proposals, structure effective partnerships, and balance reliability, affordability, and community engagement amid rapid load growth.

Extreme weather continues to challenge operational plans and technology roadmaps at utilities across the country. Hear from utility leaders from different regions in the U.S. about their experience with extreme events and how their storm and emergency operations plans support resilience for the utility and the communities they serve. Walk through the proven practices contained in storm operations plans and how response efforts are modernizing for rapid recovery and restoration. 

Data centers can be a great engine for economic growth in some areas, but their development can be detrimental in other communities. With a thoughtful and focused approach public power entities can utilize data centers as a catalyst for investments to reduce system constraints and increase resilience. Get an overview of the current state of the data center industry and how to assess if your customer is credible.

How does strong operational discipline lead to exceptional customer experiences? Shrewsbury Electric & Cable Operations recently earned a Gold Public Power Customer Satisfaction Award, with approval ratings above 95% across key areas like reliability, outage response, communication, and innovation. Using SELCO’s experience as a practical case study, gain insight into the organizational practices and response strategies that drive high satisfaction. Discuss actionable ideas to strengthen outage coordination, improve communication during critical events, and build a culture of accountability and trust.

Get a clear overview of recent federal tax credit developments — such as zero‑emission and clean energy incentives — and the practical requirements that come with them, including prevailing wage and apprenticeship rules. Discuss what public power utilities need to know to stay compliant, access available benefits, and avoid common pitfalls with grid modernization projects. Gain a better understanding of how today’s tax policies intersect with infrastructure planning, clean energy investments, and long‑term financial strategy.