The United States Energy Association will hold a press briefing on Zoom, its first of the year, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 11 a.m. EST.
Not only will utilities be straining to keep the lights on, but in the West, they will also be on alert for wildfires after the tragedy of Los Angeles.”
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, January 11, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The nation’s electricity supply faces a rough road ahead this summer and next winter. Already, weather is causing disruptions and blackouts.— Llewellyn King
The nation’s two principal forecasting agencies, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), a nonprofit company set up by the electric utility industry to forecast demand and supply, and the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) are predicting tough times ahead.
Utilities fear extreme weather, which is becoming more frequent and intense, and the stress that it puts on their systems. This is set against rising demand in the electric sector, fueled by the growth in data centers, the transition from fossil fuels and the general swing to electricity, from all-electric buildings to the demands of the electric vehicle fleet.
High demand, constrained supply and aberrant weather have led NERC to expect supply disruption and blackouts.
The United States Energy Association has scheduled its first virtual press briefing of the year, Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 11 a.m. EST, on the anticipated electricity supply crunch.
At the press briefing, which will be held on Zoom, a panel of senior reporters who cover energy will question a panel of leaders in the electric utility industry. The briefing will last just over an hour.
Journalist Llewellyn King, who has organized the briefing and will host it, said, “I’m delighted so many senior people in the industry will be on the experts panel to address what could be a very difficult year for the utilities and consumers in large swaths of the country.”
King added, “Not only will utilities be straining to keep the lights on, but in the West, they will also be on alert for wildfires after the tragedy of Los Angeles.”
Mark Menezes, President and CEO of the USEA, will be on hand to lend his “deep knowledge as a former deputy secretary of energy,” King said.
On the experts panel:
Jim Robb, President and CEO, North American Electric Reliability Corporation
Elliot Mainzer, President and CEO, California ISO
Ted Vatnsdal, Executive Director, Strategy and Risk Management, MISO
Maria Pope, President and CEO, Portland General Electric, and Chair of the Edison Electric Institute
Duane Highley, CEO, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association
Sacha Fontaine, Principal Utility Consultant and AI expert, SAS
John Howes, Principal, Redland Energy
Karen Wayland, CEO, GridWise Alliance
On the reporters panel:
Jennifer Hiller, The Wall Street Journal
Edward Saltzberg, Security and Sustainability Forum
Peter Behr, Politico’s E&E News
Matt Chester, Energy Central
Markham Hislop, Energi (Canada)
USEA virtual press briefings are free and open to the press and the public, but registration is required.
Register here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SpEuNQ8UTUGM67o1NxEBNg#/registration
Llewellyn King
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