AGENDA

 

DAY 1 – Apr 1st

DAY 2 – Apr 2nd

 

 


 

DAY 1

Day 1 – Wednesday April 1st, 2026
Start End Presentation Speaker
7 : 00 8 : 00 Registration Open, Breakfast at 7:15
8 : 00 8 : 15 Opening Remarks NWESS Chair
8 : 15 9 : 45 Keynote Speaker – Michelle Vargo from Puget Sound Energy (Title is TBD) Michelle Vargo
9 : 45 10 : 30
10 : 30 10 : 45 BREAK
10 : 45 11 : 20  DERMS Fei Ding, NREL Automation and Controls Manager
11 : 20 12 : 00 Database for Wildfire Mitigation Plan Andre Coleman
12 : 00 1 : 00 LUNCH + OPEN DISCUSSION ROOM & NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY
1 : 00 1 : 45 Seismic Transformer Study Aisha McKee / John Bender
1 : 45 2 : 00 BREAK
2 : 00 2 : 45 Proposed Pannel Session for Supply Chain Issue and Mitigation Strategies Related to Transformers SCL/TPWR/PSE/SNOPUD
2 : 45 3 : 30 Transformer Loading/FERC Order 881 Daniel Kuraspediani – BPA
3 : 30 4 : 00 Integrated Load Planning Study
4 : 00 4 : 30 EPRI E-Roadmap Tool / NEVI Jamie Dunkley
4 : 30 5 : 00 The Grid Center for Reliable Electricity Delivery (GridCRED) Jacob Reidt

 

DAY 2

 

Day 2 – Thursday April 2nd, 2026
Start End Presentation Speaker
7 : 00 8 : 00 Registration Open, Breakfast at 7:15
8 : 00 8 : 45 Load Seer – Darrin Kinney (Top Down and Bottom Up and how you plan for electrification and climate change) Darrin Kinney
8 : 45 9 : 30 Preparing for Middle Housing and EPRI Tool for Secondary Design Tanya Panomvana
9 : 30 9 : 45 BREAK
9 : 45 10 : 45 Data Center Load Growth Travis Metcalf – AWS,
Mike Miller – Sr VP of Transmission Svs at BPA
Kevin Ludwig – Black & Veatch
Eleanor Ewry – Pugest Sound Energy
10 : 45 11 : 30 Greg on the BPA Allocation of Capacity / BPA to talk about Markets Plus Choice over EDAM Todd Kochheiser
11 : 30 12 : 30 LUNCH
12 : 30 1 : 15 Grid Enhancing Technologies George Lynch (money to bring in national speakers)
1 : 15 2 : 00 Possible: Panel Approach- Challenges for new transmission line routing, push back from the public, to meet load growth, What are other utilities experience
2 : 00 2 : 15 BREAK
2 : 15 3 : 00 Energy Justice or Energy Equity – Continutation Requested
How are changes in federal energy policy impacting grants when in the context of DEI
Regan Price
3 : 00 3 : 45 AI for Power Utilties by NVIDEA Shawntia McNeil, NVIDIA – Global Energy Partner Ecosystem Mgr
3 : 45 4 : 30 AI for Power Utilties by NEETRAC J.C. Hernandez-Mejia or Geon Seok Lee from NEETRAC
4 : 30 4 : 40 Closing Comments, Post Event Survey, Feedback
END

Updated Dec 10th, 2025