APPA Virtual Summit Includes Panels on Lessons from Large Load Projects, State Policies on Large Loads

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Tony Zimmer, General Manager of the Northern California Power Agency, details how NCPA and its members are proactively working to address the ongoing threat to reliability from wildfires in the state and discusses how NCPA is helping its members respond to the growth of data centers.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Troy Adams, CEO and General Manager of Wisconsin public power utility Manitowoc Public Utilities, details the strategies that MPU has implemented to improve employee job satisfaction and trust in MPU as an organization. He also details the steps that MPU has taken to recruit the next generation of workers.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Scott Rogers, the Chief Utility Engineer for City Water, Light and Power, details the Illinois public power utility’s efforts tied to the development of an integrated resource plan, discusses the steps that it has taken to maintain high levels of employee safety and details how CWLP has continued to maintain affordable electric rates for its customers. CWLP serves Springfield, Illinois.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Tami Wilson, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Santee Cooper, details how South Carolina’s state-owned electric and water utility and its customers are expected to benefit from utilization of Google’s WeatherNext 2 model to address load forecasting and Google Cloud’s Gemini Enterprise to support Santee Cooper’s specialized AI model.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Todd Simmons, General Manager of Oregon’s Tillamook PUD, provides details on PUD transmission projects, discusses the steps that Tillamook PUD has taken to earn a 2026 Top Workplaces award and talks about the ways in which the PUD is proactively working to recruit the next generation of workers.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Dave Ketchen, Assistant General Manager at Littleton Electric Light & Water Departments in Massachusetts, details his experience serving as a Technical Advisor for the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation, supporting power restoration efforts across the Northern Mariana Islands after Super Typhoon Sinlaku. He also discusses the utility’s work to upgrade six reclosers within its distribution system to implement new control technology and the ways in which the utility has bolstered its cybersecurity.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Todd Dusenberry, General Manager for California public power utility Vernon Public Utilities, discusses the utility’s experience with the development of a data center, the strategies that Vernon Public Utilities has implemented to achieve a strong safety record and the steps that the utility has taken to bolster its cybersecurity. Vernon Public Utilities is one of the public power utilities that has received an APPA Cybersecurity Accelerator Program designation.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Keith Hormann, Director of Oregon public power utility Forest Grove Light & Power Department, discusses how the utility is improving resilience in its community through the placement of distribution lines underground and details how Forest Grove Light & Power Department worked with a developer for a data center that the utility is serving.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Ursula Schryver, Senior Vice President, Education, Training and Events at APPA, provides details on a Large Load Planning & Strategy Virtual Summit that APPA will host in November. Panels include lessons from large load projects, how state policies are influencing large loads and considerations for taxes, financing, and contracts. The summit is part of APPA’s ongoing efforts to help its members navigate the large loads landscape in the U.S.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Randy Trimble, Executive Director of Energy Delivery at Texas public power utility Bryan Texas Utilities, details a new training center for lineworkers that includes a hands-on training area where employees can work with the same types of equipment used in the field. He notes that the training center offers a number of benefits including having a place where the utility can be more deliberate about developing its workforce.