Munis & Coops – Building Support for Grid Transformation

Munis & Coops - Building Support for Grid Transformation

August 18, 2020 | Online :: 9:00 am – 4:45 pm Central Time

This course will provide public power utilities (munis) & electric cooperatives (coops) a process by which they can build essential support among their various oversight bodies and stakeholders to proceed with essential grid modernization improvements.  A scenario-based planning approach will be discussed to develop the necessary buy-in and ensure that customers, members, and communities take advantage of the opportunities provided by the energy transition and face limited exposure to the related barriers.  Challenges faced by other public power utilities and cooperatives around the country will be surveyed, and participants will be able to learn about the issues facing their organizations and communities.    The session will include instruction on the scenario-based planning approach deployed by many public power organizations to chart the transition to a de-carbonized electric power system.  Attendees will take part in an exercise to illustrate how to apply the scenario-based planning approach.  At the end of the session, they will be able to apply what they learned to help their own organizations conduct effective strategic planning to meet the challenges of the ongoing transition in the electric power sector.

Learning Outcomes

  • Identify the key challenges facing the electric power sector that arise due to de-carbonization and evolving customer preferences
  • Assess how the energy transition specifically affects public power utilities and electric cooperatives
  • Arrange peer-to-peer forum to discuss organizational challenges confronting their power organizations
  • Discuss and review the strategic planning process
  • Analyze low-cost steps that can be taken today to reduce exposure to high-risk outcomes
  • Design organizational plan for near-term needs without creating high-cost outcomes in the future
  • Examine case studies of successful outcomes of strategic planning initiatives by public power utilities and cooperatives using plan methodology
  • Construct a draft high-level action plan for that organization to address a future state of the world or scenario

Credits

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EUCI is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and offers IACET CEUs for its learning events that comply with the ANSI/IACET Continuing Education and Training Standard. IACET is recognized internationally as a standard development organization and accrediting body that promotes quality of continuing education and training.

EUCI is authorized by IACET to offer 0.7 CEUs for this event.

Requirements For Successful Completion Of Program

Participants must sign in/out each day and be in attendance for the entirety of the conference to be eligible for continuing education credit.

Instructional Methods

Case studies and PowerPoint presentations will be used in this program.

Agenda

Tuesday, August 18, 2020 Central Time

8:30 – 9:00 am :: Attendee Sign-In

9:00 am – 12:15 pm :: Overview, Introductions and Session Objectives

(Includes 2 breaks)

  • Understand the key challenges facing the electric power sector that arise due to de-carbonization and evolving customer preferences
  • Analyze how those challenges interact with the unique position of public power utilities and electric cooperatives
  • Discuss the strategic planning process

Electric Power Industry Transition and the Challenges/Opportunities for Public Power and Cooperatives

  • Review key trends driving the ongoing transition in the electric power industry
  • Discuss how the energy transition specifically affects public power utilities and electric cooperatives
  • Determine common elements of public power actions that have yielded successful grid transition outcomes

Roundtable Discussion:  Challenges Facing the Participant Organizations

  • Participant, peer-to-peer forum of organizational challenges confronting their power organizations

12:15 – 1:00 pm :: Lunch Break

1:00 – 4:45 pm :: Overview of Strategic Planning Approach

(Includes 2 breaks)    

  • Assess potential future states of the world
  • Understand high-risk outcomes
  • Identify low-cost steps that can be taken to reduce exposure to those outcomes today
  • Review commonalities between the various future states of the world
  • Derive an organizational plan for near-term needs without creating high-cost outcomes in the future
  • Case studies of successful outcomes of strategic planning initiatives by public power utilities and cooperatives using plan methodology

Exercise:  Development of a Future Scenario

  • Participants will apply the scenario-based planning approach
    • Step 1: Brainstorm several high-level issues that will define a future state of the world
    • Step 2: Selection of 1-2 high-level issues most interesting or most widely applicable to participant organizations
  • List and discuss characteristics that describe the future state of the world defined by those 2-3 high level issues
    • Step 3: Selection of one future scenario developed in Step 2
  • Create an example of a hypothetical organization (leveraging the challenge facing the participant organizations discussed previously)
  • Develop a draft high-level action plan for that organization to address this future state of the world

Wrap-up and Overview of Key Takeaways

Participants will discuss the key takeaways from the day’s activities and lessons learned for their organizations

4:45 pm :: Adjournment

Instructor

John Tsoukalis, Senior Associate, The Brattle Group

John Tsoukalis is a senior associate at The Brattle Group. His specialty is helping utilities with strategic planning initiatives on a broad range of topics, including integrating and evaluating emerging technologies and utility services; transmission development; participation in regional wholesale power markets; and assessing the regulatory and market risks associated with certain strategy bidding behaviors. His work experience includes performing a nodal production cost simulation of a regional wholesale power market, evaluating generation and transmission assets, developing strategic plans for integrating new technology, analyzing resource investment opportunities, and estimating the impact of dynamic rate designs.  Mr. Tsoukalis is also engaged with utility clients to determine their regulatory exposure due to bidding practices in the wholesale electricity markets. He has helped develop tests to detect the presence of uneconomic behavior and to assess the potential price distortion caused by this behavior. He has supported the development of testimony to assist regulatory agencies with their design of appropriate tariff provisions to properly allow for adequate cost recovery while identifying and mitigating potentially manipulative behavior.  Mr. Tsoukalis earned Masters degrees in Economics and Economic Analysis.

Online Delivery

We will be using Microsoft Teams to facilitate your participation in the upcoming event. You do not need to have an existing Teams account in order to participate in the broadcast – the course will play in your browser and you will have the option of using a microphone to speak with the room and ask questions, or type any questions in via the chat window and our on-site representative will relay your question to the instructor.

  • You will receive a meeting invitation will include a link to join the meeting.
  • Separate meeting invitations will be sent for the morning and afternoon sessions of the course.
    • You will need to join the appropriate meeting at the appropriate time.
  • If you are using a microphone, please ensure that it is muted until such time as you need to ask a question.
  • The remote meeting connection will be open approximately 30 minutes before the start of the course. We encourage you to connect as early as possible in case you experience any unforeseen problems.

Register

REGISTER NOW FOR THIS EVENT:

Munis & Coops - Building Support for Grid Transformation

August 18, 2020 | Online
Individual attendee(s) - $ 795.00 each

Buy 4 in-person seats and only pay for 3! For this event every fourth in-person attendee is free!

Your registration may be transferred to a member of your organization up to 24 hours in advance of the event. Cancellations must be received on or before July 17, 2020 in order to be refunded and will be subject to a US $195.00 processing fee per registrant. No refunds will be made after this date. Cancellations received after this date will create a credit of the tuition (less processing fee) good toward any other EUCI event. This credit will be good for six months from the cancellation date. In the event of non-attendance, all registration fees will be forfeited. In case of conference cancellation, EUCIs liability is limited to refund of the event registration fee only. For more information regarding administrative policies, such as complaints and refunds, please contact our offices at 303-770-8800