EEI 2026 Highlights: Reliability, Affordability, and Innovation

As electricity demand grows, electric companies are exploring new strategies and partnerships to deliver reliable power while protecting existing customers. On this episode, Judson Tillinghast, manager of data center strategy at Arizona Public Service, and Alan Schurr, chief commercial officer at ERock, discuss how flexible generation can help meet growing demand from data centers and other large customers. They also explore how it helps strengthen grid reliability, manage costs, and ensure new customers contribute to the broader needs of the communities they serve.

This week is Careers in Energy Week, and EEI and our member companies are celebrating the men and women who deliver the energy of every day and keep America powered, connected, and moving forward. Throughout this week, we are showcasing the career opportunities that make the energy industry an attractive path for the next generation of workers. On this episode, EEI Chief Communications Officer Emily Schillinger joins AES Ohio Electric Line Technician Leader Bryan Woodford and AES Indiana Director of Transmission and Distribution Field Operations Nick Goodman to discuss what's brought them to the field, how they're carrying on family legacies, and what it takes to become a lineworker.

This episode is the final part of our EEI 2026 Highlights series. The discussions highlight the innovative strategies, investments, and partnerships shaping the future of the energy grid. The speakers are: Mary Sprayregen, Global Head of Market Development, Regulatory Affairs & Industry Value, Oracle Duke Austin, president and CEO, Quanta You can also visit the Electric Perspectives website to read coverage of this year's conference.

This episode is part of our EEI 2026 Highlights series. The discussions highlight the innovative strategies, investments, and partnerships shaping the future of the energy grid. The speakers are: Jake Elder, Senior Vice President of Research and Innovation, Energy Impact Partners Jason Rowell, Executive Vice President, Advanced Power Generation Solution Leader, Black & Veatch Kristen Braun, Associate Vice President, Nuclear Solution Director, Black & Veatch You can also visit the Electric Perspectives website to read coverage of this year's conference.

On this episode, Hanna Grene, Microsoft’s Global Go to Market and Innovation Leader for Energy and Resources, joins EEI Chief Legal Officer Rachael Marsh. They discuss Microsoft’s Community-First AI Infrastructure initiative, how digital solutions can enhance the grid. They also explore how electric companies, technology providers, and communities can work together to ensure data center growth delivers benefits for the communities where they operate.

America’s electric companies are taking proactive steps to prepare for wildfires and other extreme weather events, strengthen the energy system, and protect the communities they serve. In this episode, Ryan Murphy, Vice President of Gas and Electric Operations at Puget Sound Energy, and Gary McAuliffe, Vice President of Sales at KloudGin, discuss how electric companies are using technology and risk modeling to enhance situational awareness and improve decision-making, while working with first responders and community leaders to keep customers safe and deliver reliable, resilient electricity. This episode is sponsored by KloudGin. Learn more: https://kloudgin.com/

July 10 is National Lineworker Appreciation Day, recognizing the skilled men and women who keep electricity flowing to homes, businesses, schools, and hospitals across the country. In this episode, EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney talks with Greg McQuiggan and Ryan Murray of National Grid, and Leland Overstreet of Alabama Power. All three are lineworkers and also members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. They discuss what it means to serve on the frontlines of the electric power industry, along with the challenges and rewards of the job. Don't forget to #ThankALineworker! 

QTS Data Centers is building a data center campus in Cedar Rapids that is the biggest economic development project in the state of Iowa. In this episode, Alliant Energy Chief Strategy Officer Raja Sundararajan and QTS Executive Vice President of Government Relations Todd Malan join EEI Chief Legal Officer Rachael Marsh to discuss how electric companies and developers are collaborating to drive economic growth, protect existing customers, and accelerate digital infrastructure buildout.

This episode is part of our EEI 2026 Highlights series. The discussions highlight the innovative strategies, investments, and partnerships shaping the future of the energy grid. The speakers are: Ted Walker, Partner, Communities, Energy & Infrastructure, Guidehouse Michelle Fay, Global Energy Providers Practice Leader, Guidehouse Ali Ipakchi, Chief Visionary Officer, OATI  Tom Keefe, Power, Utilities & Renewables National Sector Leader, Deloitte You can also visit the Electric Perspectives website to read coverage of this year's conference.

In this episode of Electric Perspectives, Gregory A. Beard, director of the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF), discusses how the federal government is deploying historic levels of capital to strengthen the energy grid and support long-term reliability. Director Beard outlines EDF’s focus on lowering costs for customers while improving reliability and energy security, including major recent loans to electric companies and a rapid pace of capital deployment.