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AEIC's Annual Meeting
Registration for AEIC's 139th Annual Meeting Is Now Open
October 24-26, 2023 • Savannah, GA JW Marriott - Savannah Plant Riverside District
AEIC’s Annual Meeting is the one place where you can join your peers to collaborate, network, and share ideas about how we can lead our industry forward to achieve a modern, more sustainable grid for all.
We are preparing our best agenda yet, featuring:
- Eight General Sessions with expert panel discussions on key industry issues
- Business Breakfasts and Luncheons with informative content
- Special pre-conference sessions for AEIC Board Members and Committee Leaders
- AEIC Annual Achievement Awards reception and dinner
- Plenty of scheduled time for peer-to-peer networking opportunities
- Spouses/guests welcome to attend all social activities
Registration is now open for 2023. We look forward to seeing you all in Savannah!
Please note: AEIC’s Annual Meeting is only open to AEIC members and meeting partners. If your company is interested in becoming a member, click here to find out how you can join.
The deadline for attendee registration is Monday, September 25th, 2023. The deadline to book lodging under the AEIC guaranteed rate is Monday, October 2nd, 2023. Reservations made after that date will be based on room type and rate availability.
Hotel Information
At the turn of the 20th century, Savannah officials were concerned there wouldn’t be enough electricity to power the rapidly growing city. To meet the projected demand, a plan was envisioned to build a power plant along the banks of the Savannah River. Riverside Power Plant began operation on October 31, 1912, and was fully completed by April 1913 and, at the time, was the most efficient power plant in the South.
Riverside was originally built for the Savannah Power Company which sold electricity to the Savannah Electric Company from 1912 to 1921. The companies merged in 1921 into the Savannah Electric and Power Company. In 1988, Savannah Electric merged with Southern Company, becoming a part of one of the largest, most successful utility systems in the United States.
Riverside Power Plant was slowly taken offline beginning in early 2000. The plant was finally decommissioned in June 2005. In 2012, Savannah native and hotel entrepreneur Richard Kessler purchased the former power plant and converted it into the JW Marriott Savannah Plant Riverside District, a contemporary hotel, meeting, and entertainment venue that retains the plant’s unique architectural features. Today, the Plant Riverside District stands tall, powering Savannah again with a different kind of energy. AEIC is thrilled to be hosting our 139th Annual Meeting at a location filled with such rich history.
General Sessions
General Session 1: Legacy of Leadership and Focus on Safety
Session Leader:
Heather Rivard
SVP, Transmission & Distribution Southern California Edison Co.
(AEIC Incoming President 2024)
This session will open by recognizing past AEIC leaders and their contributions to the industry. We will then tranisition to a discussion on Safety, led by Heather Rivard, AEIC’s incoming President for 2024. The dedicated men and women who work in the electric power industry are critical to keeping the lights on and ensuring reliability, and the industry is committed to protecting their health and safety. Keeping workers safe on the job, takes planning, preparation, innovation, and coordination, both within our organizations and across the electric power industry.
General Session 2: The Inflation Reduction Act
Session Leader:
Eric Gray
President and CEO
GE Gas Power
This session will reflect on the one-year mark after enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act and discuss the industry’s and the US Administration’s views on the progress to date, what’s needed for successful implementation, and next steps.
General Session 3: Grid Transformation
Session Leader:
Mike Edmonds
Chief Commercial Officer
S&C Electric
A modern grid promises to deliver resilient, reliable, flexible, secure, sustainable, and affordable electricity. However, utilities are focused on different aspects of modernization and are at different stages of planning and implementation. The panel will discuss lessons learned along the journey.
General Session 4: Maintaining Asset Relevance, Reliability (& Operational Flexibility) in the Energy Transition
Session Leader:
Alex Hoffs
President
PSM
Today’s investment and production incentives enable electricity producers to accelerate the introduction of grid-scale yet intermittent renewables and clean energy optionality to drive ambitious growth and decarbonization strategies. To complement this approach, Utilities continue to introduce technology-enabled retrofit upgrades to their installed fleets of heavy-frame gas turbines, strategically repurposing and future-proofing them to enhance grid balancing, responsiveness, and operational flexibility. This session will feature representatives of US-based companies who offer or have implemented service retrofits solutions and the rationale that drove these business decisions along with commercial operation experience.
General Session 5: When Renewables and Thermals Collide: Optimizing Energy Portfolios with Remote Operations
Session Leader:
Robert Yeager
President, Power and Water Solutions
Emerson
This discussion will focus on the challenges facing utilities as the influence of geographically dispersed renewable energy grows, the retirement of large thermal assets continues, and increased scrutiny on operational metrics requires organizations to proactively address change. As sustainability becomes more critical to investors, solving for net zero will be a key differentiator for utilities of the future. This session will discuss how key partnerships, remote operations, and advanced analytics enable a successful approach to managing a portfolio of diverse assets while delivering on sustainability goals.
General Session 6: The Future of the Energy Transition Depends on Transmission
Session Leader:
Chad Burk
SVP, Power System Sales
Siemens Energy, Inc.
The demand for safe, clean and reliable energy is growing exponentially. Today’s grid fit for tomorrow’s purpose. The energy transition can only be a success if the appropriate infrastructure is in place: a strong transmission grid.
General Session 7: Utility Planning Strategies
Session Leader:
Duke Austin
CEO
Quanta
Utility Planning Strategies require advancements to address future growth from electrification, AI data centers, renewables, resilience and much more.
General Session 8: AEIC Member Spotlight: Award-Winning Industry Leadership & Innovation
Session Leader:
Steve Hauser
CEO
AEIC
AEIC member companies respond to challenges, accelerate change, and achieve excellence in all aspects of generation, transmission, distribution, and storage of electric power for the benefit of all members and the industry at large. This session will highlight award-winning projects and initiatives that demonstrate the leadership and innovation of AEIC’s member companies.
Special Thanks to This Year's Meeting Partners
Premier Partners
Leadership Partners
Supporting Partners
