Mutual assistance has long been part of the electric power industry’s DNA.

As electric companies, our strength is collective, and our culture of continuous improvement means we are constantly looking to improve safety, reliability, and service to customers.

While our mutual assistance work is commonly associated with storm response, our companies support one another in several other areas, including physical and cybersecurity initiatives. Amid a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, these collaborative resilience efforts are especially important today as our industry works to strengthen and safeguard America’s critical energy infrastructure.

Twenty years ago, we broadened our mutual assistance footprint by launching the Spare Transformer Equipment Program (STEP), ensuring we could coordinate and respond quickly following a direct attack on critical American infrastructure.

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, changed so much for so many. As an industry central to the safety and security of the nation, we knew we needed to be part of the solution and, as we always do, have plans in place for worst-case scenarios.

In the years that followed the attacks, I was proud to be part of an industrywide effort to safeguard our grid against bad actors through the founding of STEP. The program provides participating companies with access to a large pool of hard-to-replace assets when, for example, a terrorist attack destroys a substation with large power transformers and causes a significant transmission outage. Members—consisting of investor-owned electric companies, public power utilities, and federal power marketing administrations—maintain a supply of spare transformers and other hard-to-replace assets that fellow members can readily access—and are required to share—in the event of an attack.

Unfortunately, electric companies know too well the long lead times associated with purchasing new transformers and new grid equipment in the event that existing assets are damaged—which is magnified during an attack or crisis event when every moment without power counts. STEP mitigates these lead times and helps ensure its members can respond quickly and efficiently.

Thankfully, in its 20 years, STEP has never seen a terrorist event cause a significant transmission outage. Even so, its members collaborate regularly and have used the STEP framework to support one another in other emergency situations. The continued strength of the program, and the robust, trusted community of industry peers that it has fostered, speaks to one of our superpowers as an industry: our commitment to preparation and collaboration.

We know that our companies and our industry power our customers’ lives and the broader U.S. economy. And, we know that, time and again, bad actors are targeting the grid to inflict maximum impact on the American people.

That means we must constantly remain on the front foot. What secures the grid and keeps our customers safe today will not remain static, and it is through programs like STEP that we plan and prepare for evolving threats to our grid and our national security.

I am proud that, 20 years after its founding, STEP remains a critical tool in our industry’s emergency response toolbox—a tool that, while we hope to never need it, is sharp and ready if we do.

Mike Innocenzo is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Exelon and Interim President and CEO, PECO

“We know it feels like every bill is higher right now – from housing to groceries to power – and that can put a strain on families. We also understand that our customers depend on us to provide safe, reliable energy, day in and day out, at the lowest possible price," Duke Energy Florida State President Melissa Seixas said in a statement. “This is the third rate reduction for our customers this year, supporting our commitment to delivering positive outcomes that have a real, tangible impact on their wallets and in their lives.”

The reduction reflects the difference between anticipated storm cost recovery related to hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton, and what the company actually incurred. Rates were reduced for a similar reason in February. Duke Energy Florida also cut rates in March, as it does every year, to support customers during a period when energy use is typically higher.

Additionally, Duke Energy Florida estimates its customers will save more than $1 billion from infrastructure investments the company made last year to expand its generation portfolio, upgrade natural gas plants, make infrastructure more weather-resilient, and deploy self-healing grid technologies.

Across the country, EEI member companies will invest more than $1.4 trillion during the next five years to make the grid stronger, more resilient, and more efficient – allowing them to meet rising energy demand while continuing to deliver the reliable, affordable energy that customers count on. They will invest more than $238 billion this year alone.

Many, like Duke Energy Florida, are also freezing or reducing rates. In March, Pacific Gas and Electric Company lowered electric rates for the fifth time since 2024. In May, Georgia’s public service commission approved a plan to lower rates by roughly $50 per year for the typical residential customer after previously instituting a multi-year rate freeze, thanks in part to Georgia Power’s work with data center developers. Similar rate freezes have been approved in Alabama and Iowa and proposed in Michigan.

A recent study from Concentric Energy Advisors (CEA) identified the grid’s 22,000 generators, 55,000 substations, 642,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, and 6.3 million miles of distribution infrastructure as “the enabling platform for economic and national security,” delivering “reliable power to all sectors of the economy, including essential services such as defense, emergency response, water systems, and communication.”

Left to right: NARUC President Ann Rendahl, NCTA President and CEO Cory Gardner, EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney, NRECA CEO Jim Matheson, American Water Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Cheryl Norton, AGA President and CEO Karen Harbert, Florida Commissioner Mike La Rosa.

Industry-government coordination was front and center during the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Winter Policy Summit in Washington, D.C., in early February.

Only two weeks on from Winter Storm Fern, a historic winter weather event that impacted more than 200 million Americans and prompted the largest mutual assistance activation the United States had seen since Superstorm Sandy, mutual assistance and storm response were fresh on the minds of the of state commissioners, federal officials, electric company leaders, and other stakeholders who attended the annual gathering.

“The effort and the coordination among federal, state, local officials, our members, working across the industry, was amazing,” EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney said during a panel discussion, highlighting the significance of pre-positioning crews and resources “days before the storm hit.”

More than 65,000 workers from America’s electric companies braved frigid and hazardous conditions to restore power to impacted communities. The scale of this effort required regular and close communication with a range of stakeholders, Maloney said, highlighting industry coordination through the CEO-led Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC) and regional mutual assistance groups, which was critical to ensuring a safe and efficient response.

“The grid is the most important engine in America. If the grid doesn’t work, America doesn’t work,” Maloney said, noting that companies are actively investing to make the grid more resilient to threats like winter storms. “Our members will be investing more than $1 trillion in the coming years to make it more reliable, more resilient, and more affordable.”

Industry response to Fern was a driver of conversation throughout the NARUC summit. During a separate keynote, Under Secretary of Energy Alex Fitzsimmons, director of the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, highlighted the federal government’s work through the ESCC to ensure crews and resources deployed to the areas that needed them most.

“The bulk power system held up, and we should be proud of that. We all should be proud of that effort,” Under Secretary Fitzsimmons told the NARUC audience.

Now two weeks on from a historic winter weather event that blanketed more than 200 million Americans in ice, snow, and frigid temperatures, industry and government leaders have been outspoken about the importance of close and regular communication ahead of and during Winter Storm Fern.

“Before the winter storm began, through the mutual assistance program run through the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC), we had 65,000 utility workers ready to go, not just to make repairs in their own service territories, but across the entire affected area,” Deputy Secretary of Energy James Danly during a recent press briefing.

Deputy Secretary Danly noted that “we had crews moving from state to state offering assistance,” which is why workers were able to respond so quickly to “a peak of just about 1 million outages.”

“The bulk power system held up, and we should be proud of that. We all should be proud of that effort,” Acting Under Secretary of Energy Alex Fitzsimmons, director of the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, said during a keynote address at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Winter Policy Summit.

Under Secretary Fitzsimmons stressed the “strong partnerships” the federal government maintains through the ESCC that helped facilitate response to a storm that impacted more than 200 million Americans.

““The effort and the coordination among federal, state, local officials, our members, working across the industry, was amazing,” EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney said during a NARUC panel discussion.

Tens of thousands of workers from at least 44 states were active throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic in recent weeks, working through snow and ice to perform damage assessments and begin restoration work when it was safe to do so.

“The impact from this storm cannot be overstated, and the industry’s response in the wake of Fern was extraordinary,” EEI Senior Vice President for Energy Security and Industry Operations Scott Aaronson said during a recent United States Energy Association briefing. “There is a culture of mutual assistance in this industry.”

Aaronson noted that the energy industry was working “in lockstep, from the earliest stages of the storm,” with the federal government and with state and local partners to ensure an efficient restoration process. He stressed that cross-industry partnerships are vital to restoring power to customers.

Aaronson also underscored how EEI member companies’ investments in grid resilience and smart grid technologies—in part to meet growing energy demand from AI, data centers, and the onshoring of manufacturing—enabled a faster restoration process.

“This forward planning has allowed us to better meet growing demand, and also to lessen the impact of and quickly respond to extreme weather events,” he said. “Resilience investments matter.”

The electric power industry in January activated its largest mutual assistance effort since Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.

More than 65,000 workers from at least 44 states deployed in response to Winter Storm Fern, according to EEI. The storm brought frigid arctic air, heavy snowfall, and icy conditions to more than 200 million Americans.

Through the CEO-led Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council, EEI and industry leaders coordinated with the highest levels of government, including at the U.S. Departments of Energy and Homeland Security, to ensure unity of effort in responding to the storm and restoring power to impacted communities.

EEI recently joined the American Public Power Association and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in issuing a joint press release highlighting the breadth of industry response, explaining the mutual assistance process, and outlining how electric companies partner during extreme weather to keep customers safe.

Read the full release below, and visit eei.org for the latest updates on Winter Storm Fern.

More than 65,000 workers from 43 states have been mobilized and are assessing damage and restoring power where it is safe to do so. That’s comparable to the historic response and recovery efforts seen during Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.

“America’s electric companies are really well positioned to deal with this,” EEI President and CEO Drew Maloney said Monday morning on CNBC’s “Worldwide Exchange.”

Maloney highlighted the planning that began last week with the highest levels of industry and government, including with senior Administration officials, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Departments of Energy and Homeland Security, and dozens of state and local leaders, to ensure unity of effort in impacted communities.

“It’s really a unified effort,” Maloney said. “I think it’s really important for everyone to understand the coordination with federal, state, and local officials … to get power up as quickly as possible during this historic ice storm.”

While ice poses unique challenges to restoration, tens of thousands of lineworkers are braving frigid conditions across several states and will continue working around the clock to ensure power is restored to everyone who is able to receive it.

Watch Maloney’s full interview below, and visit the EEI Storm Center for the latest storm updates.

One year ago, Georgia Power announced that it had largely completed immediate restoration work following Hurricane Helene with 95 percent of impacted customers restored within 8 days of the most destructive storm in the company’s history. The company mobilized its largest restoration effort ever with more than 20,000 personnel responding at the peak of restoration efforts, and partnering companies from across the country. Intensive restoration efforts were initiated in the hardest-hit areas of the state, including Valdosta, Augusta, and Savannah. Several of these areas were hard to reach and required helicopters, boats, and unmanned aerial vehicles to get responders close enough to restore power.

The company repaired or replaced 11,800+ power poles, 1,500+ miles of power lines, 5,800+ transformers, and addressed 3,200+ trees impacting lines. In some areas, the damage was so severe that crews had to rebuild portions of the power grid from the ground up.

With the approval of the Georgia Public Service Commission, Georgia Power has invested more than $10 billion over the last decade in smart grid technology and grid resiliency. Those investments have reduced the duration and frequency of outages, and made the grid more resilient to extreme weather.

During the height of Hurricane Helene, these advanced systems and automated devices prevented sustained outages for thousands of customers, automatically rerouting power around trouble areas and helping avoid thousands of hours of outage time for storm-ravaged homes, families, and businesses in some of the less-affected areas of the state such as Metro Atlanta and North Georgia. This enabled crews to quickly repair major problems and refocus their efforts on the hardest-hit communities.

In the months following Hurricane Helene, once customers were safely reconnected as quickly as possible, the company took the time to strategically rebuild parts of the grid with smarter technology and stronger infrastructure, which included upgrading power lines, poles, and transformers to enhance reliability and durability for future storms. For example, Georgia Power integrated self-healing grid technologies such as automatic electric-fault detection and automated switches helping to enhance monitoring, reliability, and energy efficiency for all customers.

“We understand the importance of reliable energy for families and businesses and are working every day to plan improvements and align our investments in grid resilience to deliver the best value for customers,” said Georgia Power Vice President of Strategy and Support Josh Stallings. “While this is an ongoing effort that has been underway for years, following Hurricane Helene, we recognized an opportunity to upgrade sections of the grid in impacted areas while we rebuilt from the ground up in many cases, making them stronger and more resilient. We’re proud to continue to be here for Georgia communities every day.”

Examples of work in areas impacted by Hurricane Helene include:

• Coastal Georgia: Several basic insulation level and sectionalizing projects have been completed in the last year benefiting more than 10,000 customers.
• East Georgia: Many sectionalizing projects in the Augusta area have taken place with more than 90 devices upgraded or added to the system that allows the grid to “self-heal.”
• South Georgia: Crews have reconductored circuits in Hahira and East Valdosta with larger wire, including more than a mile of new service lines.

To learn more about Georgia Power’s historic restoration efforts following Hurricane Helene, visit georgiapower.com/helene.

The CenterPoint Energy Foundation in August donated $1 million to the Salvation Army to support emergency response in the Greater Houston area—part of investor-owned electric companies’ broader efforts to build and support crisis-response frameworks in the communities they serve.

“The CenterPoint Energy Foundation believes in the power of collaboration to build stronger, more resilient communities,” CenterPoint Energy's Executive Vice President and General Counsel Monica Karuturi said in a statement. “We know that these emergency situations can happen at any time.”

The five-year grant will help the Salvation Army serve vulnerable populations, including families, youth, seniors, and the unsheltered during crises and extreme weather events.

It’s the foundation’s latest effort to foster resilience across CenterPoint Energy’s service territory. Earlier this year, the CenterPoint Energy Foundation facilitated the donation of more than 20 backup generators to strategically significant locations throughout Houston and the surrounding counties. The foundation worked with state and local officials and Texas Offices of Emergency Management to ensure these generators would support the distribution of essential services like medical care, water, and food during emergencies.

EEI member companies invest heavily in the energy grid, building and fortifying critical energy infrastructure to withstand threats of all kinds. Additionally, lineworkers from EEI member companies are on the front lines during storms and other disasters, working to quickly restore power and hope when Mother Nature is at her worst. EEI issued its annual Emergency Response Awards in September, recognizing more than two dozen member companies that put forth outstanding efforts to safely and efficiently restore service to the public following a storm or natural disaster.

Behind the scenes, however, CenterPoint Energy is one of many electric companies investing heavily in their communities. During National Preparedness Month in September and throughout the year, EEI member companies are critical to crisis planning and community resilience projects, supporting local response networks and first responders.

The Duke Energy Foundation in June announced plans to commit $1.5 million through the 2025 Helping Emergency Response Organizations (HERO) grant program to boost community readiness and resilience, supporting local agencies and the American Red Cross throughout the company’s service territory in North Carolina, South Carolina, Indiana, Florida, Ohio, and Kentucky.

The grants will support first responder training and the purchase of lifesaving equipment and technology to help during weather-related disaster planning and response.

“These grants are an investment in the resilience of our communities,” said Duke Energy Foundation President Amy Strecker. “When the unexpected strikes, our partners on the front lines need resources they can rely on—and we’re proud to help power their efforts.”

In September, Black Hills Energy issued $135,000 in Funds for Firefighters safety grants across Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. The grants are designed to help local fire departments purchase protective equipment, specialized tools, and other first responder essentials.

“At Black Hills Energy, we believe that when we invest in those who protect our communities, we’re building a stronger, safer future for everyone,” Kevin Jarosz, vice president of Black Hills Energy Nebraska and Iowa operations, said in a statement.

Similarly, the We Energies Foundation announced in August that it would issue grants totaling $100,000 to help local first responders purchase lifesaving equipment and strengthen public safety. Since 2020, the We Energies Foundation has donated $500,000 to help police, fire, and emergency medical services agencies improve public safety across Wisconsin and Michigan.

“We are honored to continue our support of public safety agencies and the invaluable impact they make every day,” said We Energies Foundation President Beth Straka. “The important tools we help provide our first responders—from vital medical devices to heavy-duty equipment—can be critical in keeping people and our communities safe.”

Electric company-led community resilience projects can take many forms. Some come as one-time donations or grants, while others are set up to provide ongoing financial support over a longer period of time. The Portland General Electric Foundation in 2021 established the Responsive Philanthropy Fund to swiftly address community needs following crises. During a winter ice storm last year, the Fund distributed $50,000 to nonprofits that provided warming shelters and basic needs like food, clothing, and housing assistance to impacted customers.

Additionally, 2025 marked the eighth year of an ongoing partnership involving Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and the California Fire Foundation. Through the partnership, $950,000 in grants will be issued this year to California-based fire departments and community organizations in support of wildfire safety and preparedness projects. And, PG&E and the PG&E Foundation committed $1.65 million to support the state’s Wildfire Safety and Preparedness Program, which raises public awareness about wildfire safety and delivers resources to underserved communities in high fire-risk areas.

“The projects that these grants fund, such as creating defensible space, enabling fuel-reduction programs, and conducting fire-safety outreach campaigns, are essential across our service area and especially within underserved communities,” PG&E Senior Vice President for Wildfire, Emergency, and Operations Mark Quinlan said in a statement.

EEI member companies know that resilience is a team sport—and that effective and productive partnerships with government officials and local leaders produce better outcomes for customers when disaster strikes.

“These partnerships help ensure an efficient response, using the strengths and resources of both industry and government to restore power quickly and to support storm-affected communities and customers,” Southern Company Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Stan Connally wrote in an article for Electric Perspectives earlier this year. “By working together, we can mitigate the impact of disasters, enhance resilience, and expedite recovery efforts.”

Through their long-standing partnerships with federal, state, and local leaders and their ongoing engagement in mutual assistance, EEI member companies are actively engaged in crisis preparation and response efforts throughout the year. And, their engagement with the CEO-led Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council allows them to coordinate with government partners at the U.S. Departments of Energy and Homeland Security and the National Security Council to ensure industry and government alignment in preparing for and responding to national-level disasters and threats.

Learn more about the industry’s resilience initiatives at eei.org/mutual-assistance.

Like many of you, I have strong emotions about the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and its impact on the city we call home—New Orleans. I remain in awe of nature’s raw power on that fateful day and deeply sad about the tragedy brought by the storm to so many. Considering Katrina, and its equally terrifying counterpart, Hurricane Rita—which struck the Louisiana/Texas border just a few weeks later—I’m also inspired by how our recovery showed the power and resilience of the human spirit and what determined people coming together can achieve.

Then, as now, New Orleans was the home to Entergy’s corporate headquarters. Thousands of our employees and their families lived in the places hardest hit by Katrina. I’m honored that our employees met the challenge head on, from those working at our generation plants and headquarters to those restoring power at Entergy New Orleans, our local operating company. Many of them helped the region recover even as they suffered their own personal losses.

The lessons learned after Hurricane Katrina made us a stronger, more customer-focused company, and to this day, we know that progress requires dedication and power—for homes, businesses, communities, and our lives. The spirit of that day endures in our vision statement, “We Power Life,” as we channel those lessons into the work that we do every day, even 20 years later from that impactful time.

Today, we’re a leader across our industry and in our hometown. Our utility workers are nationally recognized for storm response. In fact, during a major storm anywhere in the country, there’s a good chance Entergy will be called on for expertise and support.

We are a leader in corporate giving. For the 10th year, Entergy was named to The Civic 50, the Points of Light's prestigious annual list that recognizes top companies for employee volunteerism and community investment. In 2024 alone, we contributed $4.3 million to more than 100 New Orleans nonprofits.

And, we are a leader in economic development, collaborating to help Louisiana secure major new investments in the data center, liquefied natural gas, steel, and petrochemical industries. Earlier this year, we served as founding partner for the Super Bowl 59 Host Committee, contributing millions of dollars to host this major event that brought more than $1.25 billion in economic impact to our state, region, and city.

We continue our work in close collaboration with our regulators and communities as we build energy infrastructure that makes the grid stronger and more resilient for years to come—an energy grid designed to withstand the harshest conditions. That work balances affordability, reliability, and sustainability on behalf of all our customers.

In New Orleans, the City Council recently approved Phase 1 of our proposed resilience plan, which includes strengthening more than 3,000 structures and upgrading more than 60 miles of electric lines.

The Louisiana Public Service Commission also approved the first phase of those efforts, which includes 2,100 incremental Entergy projects across the state. By reinforcing our grid ahead of severe weather, Louisiana customers will save an estimated $1.2 billion in storm costs.

The Public Utility Commission of Texas approved an investment of $137 million in projects to strengthen the Southeast Texas power grid, reduce storm-related outages, and save customers millions in restoration costs for decades.

And, while we are making these needed investments, we are mindful that 40 percent of our residential customers live at or below the poverty level. That reality is part of each business decision we make in New Orleans and everywhere we serve. As a result, we continue to maintain some of the lowest electric rates in the country and work hard every day to keep bills as low as possible.

Twenty years on, the lessons of Katrina endure, and the resilience of this community continues to inspire. New Orleans remains our home as we work for everyone and honor our commitment to safely serve our city and the region. The people of Entergy are optimistic about the future, ready for anything, and striving to lead the way to a brighter future for all of us.

Read about how Entergy restored more than just power at entergy.com/Katrina20.

Drew Marsh is Chair and CEO of Entergy.

As the new leader of the Electricity Information Sharing Analysis Center (E-ISAC), I come into the role with a sense of enthusiasm and energy. Not only do I get to continue the mission, vision, and focus I had in my previous role at Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE), I also get to work with another exceptional and highly respected team. I see nothing but potential as we build on the E-ISAC’s historic successes—one of which is GridEx, the largest grid security exercise in North America.

Hosted every two years by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and the E-ISAC, GridEx was launched in 2011. Hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals have participated. GridEx simulates the response and recovery from a coordinated attack on critical infrastructure and is designed as a decentralized, distributed play exercise. Organizations that take part can scale their own participation up or down to meet their unique objectives while coordinating their response with external partners. This year, GridEx VIII (to be held November 18-19) promises to be another major step forward in advancing industry-wide preparedness and resilience against evolving cyber and physical security threats.

Although I have been with the E-ISAC for a relatively short time, I already am struck by the scale and scope of the exercise and the level of industry and government planning, collaboration, and coordination that goes into staging this important event.

In my previous role, I participated in all seven exercises. I always saw them as an opportunity to exercise at scale and to test and continually strengthen our resilience. While GridEx is only one of many exercises that entities take part in, its unique flexibility is an asset and provides a broader view across industry, government, and stakeholder perspectives.

And, importantly, it serves as a call to action to engage and build relationships across those groups before a real event occurs. Planning and engagement include working with federal government partners, such as the U.S. Department of Energy, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Canadian Centre for Cybersecurity—organizations that would be instrumental in responding to a national-level crisis.

Of course, the real impacts of any attack are realized in local communities, making strong relationships among the investor-owned electric companies, electric cooperatives, public power entities and municipalities, local government, and emergency services vital to recovery efforts. GridEx promotes bringing these organizations together to build and strengthen relationships, as participants work together to enhance our collective resilience.

I firmly believe that the E-ISAC’s role in building and coordinating this exercise is about continuously advancing the resilience of our industry. Every exercise should move the needle forward, challenging our plans and capabilities and identifying opportunities to strengthen and improve, because that is the real benefit. At the end of the day, we cannot prevent everything, but we can reduce the likelihood and impact of physical and cyber attacks—and we can ensure that the partnerships and processes are in place to effectively respond and recover.

Participating with BHE in the past provided a valuable perspective and shaped my thinking on how participants should approach the exercise. I believe the aim should be to challenge existing plans, degrade resources, and test assumptions to the point of failure—it is at the point of failure where the lessons are really learned. Effective exercises using challenging scenarios and the resulting lessons learned are what lead to measurable improvement for each participating organization.

The E-ISAC publishes its own Lessons Learned Report following each GridEx, which is posted on the E-ISAC website. A major outcome of the 2023 exercise was the need for the electric sector to improve the resilience of its communications systems. Through document reviews and interviews with subject matter experts, the E-ISAC developed a full report with extensive recommendations for the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council.

The E-ISAC also developed two communications references: an in-depth case study on the unique communications challenges encountered during Hurricane Helene in North Carolina; and a Resilient Communications Technical Crosswalk document, which serves as a quick reference for comparing different resilient communications technologies currently in use across the grid. These references, which are available on the E-ISAC website, are provided to help members as they improve their crisis communications plans and elevate their communications technologies.

Enhanced accessibility was another recommendation identified during GridEx 2023. As a direct result, the E-ISAC has expanded participation options for the upcoming exercise to make it even easier for smaller organizations and first-time participants to get involved. To facilitate their participation, two new formats have been introduced this year:

• GridEx in a Box: A streamlined version designed as a functional exercise, ideal for smaller planning teams or organizations with limited resources.
• GridEx Tabletop: A flexible, discussion-based format designed to be “plug and play” with a slide deck and a facilitator guide.

With more than 300 organizations already registered, GridEx VIII is an opportunity to strengthen internal response capabilities, build relationships across the industry and with other sectors, and help enhance the overall resilience of the bulk power system. More information and registration details are available on the E-ISAC website.

Michael Ball is senior vice president at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation and CEO of the Electricity Information Sharing Analysis Center.

In July, representatives from EEI, CenterPoint Energy, Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Entergy, Florida Power & Light, Southern Company, and TECO Energy traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with federal lawmakers and their staff for the third annual Congressional Hurricane Preparedness and Recovery Symposium.

The symposium showcased the vital role of industry-government partnerships and mutual assistance networks. The event also emphasized the electric power industry's commitment to disaster preparedness and recovery, highlighting how technological advancements enable faster, more efficient responses as lineworkers and first responders restore power and hope to impacted communities.

During the event, electric companies showcased their disaster preparedness and resilience plans and tools, including:

• Dominion Energy’s grid upgrades that are enhancing resilience, including automatic sectionalizers that help restore power more quickly when outages occur.
• Duke Energy’s grid modernization plans, including investments in weather-resilient power poles, smart grid technologies, and unmanned aerial systems and helicopters to monitor the grid.
• Entergy's Damage Assessment Collecting Tool, which streamlines the damage assessment process and allows field assessors to access online maps to relay the exact location of where repairs need to be made.
• TECO Energy’s lineworker equipment, which highlighted the difficult task lineworkers face every day as they maintain, repair, and upgrade critical energy infrastructure and restore power after extreme weather events.
• Florida Power & Light’s drones, which optimize grid assessment efforts and allow crews to gain visibility into hard-to-access sites.

Power of Partnerships

The event's fireside chat, which featured American Red Cross Vice President for Disaster Programs Jennifer Pipa and EEI Senior Vice President for Energy Security and Industry Operations Scott Aaronson showcased the vital role of partnerships and mutual assistance networks across sectors.

“Electric companies are critical to national security and critical to health and safety. We appreciate the support of our government partners, and our mantra is to be better today than we were yesterday—and better tomorrow than we are today,” said Aaronson.

“When things occur, what we do is look to the entire network [of regional American Red Cross organizations] and ask each one of them to put forward their volunteers, so that we can bring them together and then deploy them down to the disaster area. It's the exact same kind of mutual aid assistance model [as the electric power sector],” Pipa said.

U.S. Representatives Troy Carter (D-LA) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), co-chairs of the Congressional Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Caucus, emphasized the importance of disaster preparedness and partnerships that support recovery efforts.

“These storms, high winds, and high waters, they don’t know zip codes, socioeconomic status, or political affiliation,” Rep. Carter said. “They are equal opportunity havoc wreakers. We thank you all for your partnership, and we stand ready to support you.”

Disaster preparedness and recovery requires “absolute partnership,” said Rep. Moskowitz, noting that the Caucus supports the electric power industry and emergency management officials.

To learn more about how EEI’s member companies respond to extreme weather events and other disasters, visit EEI’s website.

Left to right: Chris Harris, International Representative, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; Eliecer Viamontes, President and CEO, Entergy Texas; Harry Sideris, President and CEO, Duke Energy; Michele O'Connell, President and CEO, Orange & Rockland Utilities; EEI Chair Maria Pope, President and CEO, Portland General Electric; and Chris Womack, President and CEO, Southern Company.

In late February, leaders from EEI and America’s investor-owned electric companies joined state regulators, technology leaders, government officials, consumer advocates, and other industry and regulatory stakeholders at the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ (NARUC’s) annual Winter Policy Summit in Washington, D.C.

“The purpose of this meeting is to assemble a group of key stakeholders to discuss the opportunities and challenges before us and how we can meet the demand that we are seeing in the electric power sector,” NARUC President and Georgia Public Service Commissioner Tricia Pridemore said during the summit’s opening session.

Throughout the four days of programming, more than 2,100 summit attendees heard about the considerable energy demand being generated by data centers and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies; physical, cyber, and weather-related threats to America’s critical energy infrastructure; and how electric companies are working with the regulatory community to power Americans’ lives and businesses and to keep customer costs as low as possible.

“NARUC was borne out of a noble idea, that the regulatory policies that were taking shape in Washington, D.C., couldn’t effectuate policy over such a large country,” said NARUC Executive Director Tony Clark. “What happens here directly affects affordability and the reliability of our system.”

Diverse Stakeholder Group Joins Demand Roundtable

New to the NARUC agenda this year was a Demand Roundtable discussion. The session convened more than 20 state commissioners, electric company executives, and technology leaders from Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Walmart to discuss demand needs and to ensure industry and regulators are moving in lockstep to bring new technologies, generation, and transmission and distribution to the energy grid.

“We need speed, flexibility, and a willingness to be creative to find solutions for our customers,” Exelon Corporation Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Michael Innocenzo said during the discussion, noting the industry’s dual priorities of meeting new customer demand while prioritizing service for existing customers and communities. “We have an obligation to maintain a grid that is safe, reliable, and affordable. We do not want to overburden any segment of our customers.”

To open the session, participants were polled on a series of questions to gauge their near- and long-term concerns about meeting demand growth. Nearly 1 in 3 representatives from electric companies and state commissions said they were very concerned about increasing demand from data centers, while 54 percent said they were somewhat concerned. Nearly 1 in 4 said significant upgrades are needed to existing infrastructure in their service territories to support projected growth.

Participants also were asked to list the biggest challenges that they see related to data center demand, and several common answers emerged: timelines involved with building new infrastructure, supply chain concerns, tariffs and cost allocation, and risks associated with first-of-a-kind technologies.

“There is substantial first-mover risk. Some of the investments we’re talking about are larger than entire companies,” said Duke Energy Senior Vice President for Pricing and Customer Solutions Lon Huber. “You can’t bet your company on these sorts of technologies. You can’t bet your service territory. There has to be some kind of partnership to support these technologies and ensure that electric companies aren’t solely bearing the risk.”

Unity of Effort and Message in Mutual Assistance

The first full day of the summit began with a discussion about mutual assistance and the power of partnership, moderated by Southern Company Chairman, President, and CEO Chris Womack and featuring International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers International Representative Chris Harris; Orange and Rockland President and CEO Michele O’Connell; EEI Chair Maria Pope, president and CEO of Portland General Electric (PGE); Duke Energy President Harry Sideris; and Entergy Texas Chair, President, and CEO Eliecer Viamontes.

“It is so important that we are starting this meeting with a discussion about mutual assistance,” said Womack. “This clearly demonstrates the role of what we do, the value of what we do, and it speaks to the value that we bring to customers and communities.”

Sideris and Viamontes discussed an active 2024 hurricane season, which included Hurricane Beryl’s impacts on Texas and Hurricanes Helene’s and Milton’s devastation to the Southeast. Sideris, whose hometown of Asheville, N.C., saw catastrophic damage from Helene, noted the storms impacted Duke Energy’s service territories across all six states that the company serves. He said the storm “caused the most damage that we’ve ever seen,” and he praised the army of mutual assistance workers who deployed to North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida to assist with storm response and recovery.

“There was a tremendous response from the industry, and it’s really in the DNA of our lineworkers and our companies. We had employees who lost homes and family members and came to work the next day to restore power,” Sideris said.

Viamontes stressed the importance of proactive communication with local officials and customers during storm response efforts, noting that Entergy Texas actively engaged with local media and held daily calls with elected officials during Beryl.

O’Connell was one of several on the panel who urged the regulatory community to support efforts to harden the grid and to make it more weather resilient, citing Orange and Rockland’s investments totaling $1 billion during the past 10 years in undergrounding overhead lines and installing submersible equipment.

Pope emphasized that wildfire mutual assistance is in many ways different from traditional storm response efforts but that some principles touted by other panelists still apply. She highlighted the use of early detection AI cameras and the increasing use of public safety power shutoffs in the West as efforts that potentially can mitigate catastrophic wildfires, as well as the need to engage with local officials to promote transparency.

“I never thought I’d know the chiefs of police in as many of our jurisdictions as I do today,” Pope said. “Unity of effort and unity of message are a hallmark of what we do in this industry. Mutual assistance demands leadership and coming together, not pointing fingers.”

‘Power Shifting to the States’

EEI Executive Vice President for Regulatory Affairs and International Programs Phil Moeller spoke during a series of events that EEI hosted on the sidelines of the summit, including at the EEI Women’s Breakfast. Moeller delivered remarks before and after a panel discussion about the industry’s commitment to reducing serious injuries and fatalities, moderated by Con Edison Vice President of Environment, Health, and Safety Venetia Lannon. The panel featured International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Fourth District International Vice President Gina Cooper, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations President Liz Shuler, Minnesota Public Utilities Commission Chair Katie Sieben, and Pepco Holdings Chief Operating Officer Tamla Olivier.

The session featured panelists’ insights on recent trends, strategies to minimize incidents, the introduction of innovative safety metrics, and how a collaborative safety culture can support these efforts. The group discussed how to get at the heart of what causes incidents, how to implement effective reporting structures, and the importance of ongoing workforce training initiatives that help ensure safety.

“Zero incidents for our employees and our contractors, and zero public safety events: That’s always our goal,” Olivier said during the discussion.

Moeller also joined a NARUC Committee on Energy Resources and the Environment session, offering his federal policy predictions for 2025 and beyond.

He saw “an interesting dynamic of power shifting to the states, which we’re seeing through the actions of the Administration and the actions of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Mark Christie.” That power shift, Moeller said, would require states within the same regions to work together more closely to avoid creating patchwork regulatory frameworks.

“That takes time. That takes trust. Putting the effort in to bridge regional differences will be important,” he said.

Moeller also stressed the need for more dynamic rate structures that send better price signals to customers, the importance of customer education and engagement, and the progress that the industry has made on workforce development and skills training initiatives.

“That issue really used to worry me when I served on FERC. I’m more comfortable now that there’s a lot more going on,” he said, highlighting EEI’s work with groups like Veterans in Energy and the Center for Energy Workforce Development.

Left to right: Mark Birk, Chairman and President, Ameren Missouri; EEI Vice Chair Calvin Butler, President and CEO, Exelon Corporation; Steve Fleishman, Managing Director and Senior Analyst, Wolfe Research; Michael Haggarty, Associate Managing Director, Moody's Ratings; Teresa Ho Kim, Managing Director, J.P. Morgan Asset Management; NARUC President Tricia Pridemore, Commissioner, Georgia Public Service Commission.

‘It’s Not Just About Demand Growth’

Several EEI member company CEOs joined NARUC sessions later in the week, including NiSource President and CEO Lloyd Yates, who participated in a fireside chat with Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Chairman Stephen DeFrank. Yates discussed the industry’s emphasis on an all-of-the-above energy strategy and his optimism for hydrogen blending, small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), and other emerging energy solutions.

“This is a huge economic development opportunity for this country. It’s a huge national security issue for this country,” Yates said. “We have to continue to put resources into nuclear and making SMRs work. We have to blend in renewables. Transmission investments are so important. And, we need more natural gas infrastructure. The energy transition looks different in every state, so you need to do the work and bring everyone to the table in every state.”

Later in the week, Ameren Missouri Chairman and President Mark Birk and EEI Vice Chair Calvin Butler, president and CEO of the Exelon Corporation, participated in a conversation about industry access to capital, joining Wolfe Research Senior Analyst Steve Fleishman, Moody’s Ratings Associate Managing Director Michael Haggarty, and J.P. Morgan Asset Management Managing Director Teresa Ho Kim.

Birk highlighted the need for proactive communication with regulators and members of the financial community, noting that Ameren Missouri regularly hosts power plant and facility tours to help stakeholders understand the size and scale of investments needed.

“If you’re able to show that the projects you’re working on directly benefit customers, and you can show the why, it makes it easier to work with regulators and with investors,” he said.

Butler noted that the electric power industry is the most capital-intensive in the country, with grid infrastructure investments totaling tens of billions of dollars each year. He said telling that story can be difficult sometimes because “we’re investing in things we hope you will never feel, like security.”

“It’s not just about demand growth. It’s about providing a system that everyone in this room can come to depend on. We all need to keep our eyes on the ball and stay on top of that,” Butler said.

Collaboration and coordination between government stakeholders and the electric power industry are vital following weather-related events and natural disasters that cause significant power outages. These partnerships help ensure an efficient response, using the strengths and resources of both industry and government to restore power quickly and to support storm-affected communities and customers. By working together, we can mitigate the impact of disasters, enhance resilience, and expedite recovery efforts.

One of the hallmarks of this industry is its collaborative nature, embodied by the mutual assistance process that brings resources and support to communities that need it most. We are fortunate to be part of a critical industry that keeps the lights on and energy flowing, and we are proud to be there so customers and communities know they can depend on us to reliably deliver the energy they need when and where they need it. That’s true on blue-sky days and in recovering and rebuilding in the wake of storms.

More than power, even, we have the privilege of restoring hope. Nowhere was this more evident than in the recent responses to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which made landfall within two weeks of one another. More than 200 lives were lost during these devastating storms, which also disrupted power and paralyzed local economies for millions of Americans.

The Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC)—the principal liaison between the federal government and the electric power sector—was pivotal in preparing for and responding to these hurricanes. The ESCC brings together industry CEOs and leaders with key federal partners, including officials from the White House, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Departments of Energy and Homeland Security, among others.

During Helene and Milton, the ESCC convened numerous national calls structured to facilitate unity of effort and message. Working through the council ensured that information was shared with all relevant parties and that challenges were promptly addressed to help communities recover safely and as swiftly as possible.

We are incredibly grateful for the involvement and leadership of senior government officials who connected directly with our industry throughout the response to these storms. Especially encouraging was direct engagement from President Joe Biden; Vice President Kamala Harris; Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm; FEMA Director Deanne Criswell; and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor Caitlin Durkovich, among others.

In the days leading up to and following Helene’s landfall, Southern Company system responders joined tens of thousands of mutual assistance workers deployed from all over the country before pivoting to assist with the response to Milton. In the responses to Helene and Milton, our industry mobilized more than 50,000 mutual assistance workers from at least 41 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada—highlighting the strength and importance of industry partnerships in storm restoration.

The coordination across companies and state lines, and the unity of effort to move crews and materials where work needed to be done, was a marvel to see.

Customers and communities are at the heart of everything we do. We know that energy is a necessity, not a commodity. It is a critical asset to our nation and to our economy that powers everyday life. That’s why we also know how incredibly essential energy resilience is.

Southern Company, like so many of our peers, has been focused on resilience planning for years. We prepare for extreme weather events and worst-case scenarios so that we can deliver for our customers when they need us most. Since 2015, we’ve invested around $21 billion in our energy grid. And much of our future investment is expected to go toward things that make our grid more resilient, like hardening our infrastructure and enhancing the resilience of our generation facilities. 

Investments in resilience pay off. Even with the magnitude of Helene and Milton, areas in Florida and Georgia that had significantly invested in resilience experienced less damage to the grid and saw faster restoration times. We are working closely with customers, communities, government officials, and regulators to help everyone understand the importance of these investments and the tangible benefits they provide.

I am proud of the team at Southern Company—and of EEI and our peers across the industry—for learning new lessons every year and after every storm. We are always looking for ways to get better. Helene and Milton brought extraordinary challenges. Their lessons will help us to better serve our customers and to be even more prepared for the next storm.

Stan Connally is the executive vice president of operations at Southern Company and chairman, president, and CEO of Southern Company Services. He also serves as the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council’s emergency response lead.