Public Power Now

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.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Eric Poff, Director of Substation Telecommunications and Metering Assets at California public power utility SMUD, details how the utility is benefiting from the use of a robot dog for inspections of utility assets. SMUD’s use of the robot dog is part of a three-year pilot program.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Ryan Kelso, CEO of Texas public power utility New Braunfels Utilities, provides an update on NBU substation projects, details his focus on holding face-to-face meetings with New Braunfels community members, discusses the steps the utility has taken to achieve high levels of safety and details how a new utility headquarters will benefit utility customers and NBU employees.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Branndon Kelley, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Innovation and Chief Strategy Officer at AMP, details how AMP members will benefit from a new program that provides streamlined access to Noteworthy AI's Inspection platform through standardized terms and group-buy pricing. Noteworthy AI delivers artificial intelligence-powered inspection solutions to help utilities manage distribution grid assets.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Michael Ball, CEO of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center, discusses how E-ISAC helps organizations of different sizes improve their security posture, details the services and resources that public power utilities gain access to when they join E-ISAC and explains why information sharing is so critical for the electric sector.

ElectriCities of North Carolina will host a free cybersecurity training in Raleigh, North Carolina, from September 1-3. In the latest episode of APPA’s Public Power Now podcast, Chris Ching, Cybersecurity Specialist at APPA, provides details on the specific types of training that will be offered at the event. He also discusses how participants in a similar event hosted by the Northeast Public Power Association benefited from the training, which is part of APPA’s Cyber Pathways program.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Jim Robb, President and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, discusses how the power grid has performed so far this summer and details NERC’s response to large loads and data centers including its large loads action plan. He also discusses NERC actions tied to mitigating the threat to reliability from wildfires and provides an update on NERC’s efforts to modernize its standards processes and procedures.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Chris Fredericksen, the new General Manager of Idaho Falls Power and Idaho Falls Fiber, details how the public power utility and its customers will benefit from a new 17.5-megawatt natural gas peaking plant. He also discusses how the public power utility is tackling workforce challenges including efforts to let students know about career opportunities in the power sector.

This episode is brought to you by Caterpillar Energy Services. Energy costs are rising -- and municipalities are feeling the pressure to do more with less. Cat AMP from Caterpillar Energy Services gives utilities and communities a powerful way forward.

In the latest episode of Public Power Now, Barry Johnson, a Fire Mitigation Specialist at Arizona public power utility Salt River Project, discusses SRP’s recent announcement that it is working with Northern Arizona University to install new wireless moisture sensors designed by a company called Growvera to improve how wildfire risk is monitored in the Tonto National Forest in Arizona. The pilot project is testing new technology from Growvera that enables continuous, real-time tracking of forest fuel and soil moisture conditions.

This episode is brought to you by Caterpillar Energy Services. Energy costs are rising -- and municipalities are feeling the pressure to do more with less. Cat AMP from Caterpillar Energy Services gives utilities and communities a powerful way forward.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Anna Detloff, Cybersecurity Program Senior Manager at APPA, discusses the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council's Cyber Mutual Assistance program and APPA’s role in the program and details the resources that are available to APPA members that participate in the Cyber Mutual Assistance program. She also notes how the program can be beneficial for smaller public power utilities.

This episode is brought to you by Caterpillar Energy Services. Energy costs are rising -- and municipalities are feeling the pressure to do more with less. Cat AMP from Caterpillar Energy Services gives utilities and communities a powerful way forward.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Eric Moerman, a City Council member of the public power community of Sioux Center, Iowa, and the incoming Chair of APPA’s Policy Makers Council, provides an overview of the Policy Makers Council and details how PMC members advocate for APPA’s legislative and regulatory priorities. The PMC’s fly-in meeting in Washington, D.C., will take place this year on July 14-15.

This episode is sponsored by brought to you by Caterpillar Energy Services. Energy costs are rising -- and municipalities are feeling the pressure to do more with less. Cat AMP from Caterpillar Energy Services gives utilities and communities a powerful way forward.

In the latest episode of the Public Power Now podcast, Jeff Dykes, CEO of Tennessee public power utility BrightRidge, provides details on an initiative with Seven States Power Corporation that calls for the deployment of battery storage as a standalone resource. Dykes also discusses how BrightRidge Broadband has brought benefits to BrightRidge customers.