In this special edition of “Alternative Power Plays” marking fifty-plus episodes, Buchanan’s John Povilaitis and Alan Seltzer are joined by Brattle’s Metin Celebi and Frank Graves for a wide-ranging retrospective and forward-looking discussion of the energy industry.

The episode begins with the hosts reflecting on the podcast’s evolution since launching in 2021, from its original focus on combined heat and power (or CHP) to its broader conversations on hydrogen, nuclear energy, electrification, grid capacity, and political and international issues. The four then take a trip down memory lane to revisit standout episodes and highlight guests that prompted insightful, impactful and important conversations. They also examine past predictions that failed to pan out.

Looking ahead, the hosts analyze several emerging issues and challenges facing the energy sector, including data centers, affordability, grid-enhancing technologies and climate change – topics of discussion that very well may appear in the next 50 episodes!

To learn more about John Povilaitis, visit https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis

To learn more about Alan Seltzer, visit https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer

To learn more about Metin Celebi, visit https://www.brattle.com/experts/metin-celebi/

To learn more about Frank Graves, visit https://www.brattle.com/experts/frank-c-graves/

In this second part of a two-episode conversation, Todd Snitchler, president and CEO of the Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA), returns with hosts John Povilaitis and Alan Seltzer. The trio takes a closer look at EPSA’s Competitive Power Principles and specifically the organization’s commitment to evolving the resource mix. Snitchler outlines how EPSA members have long owned diverse fleets and warns against states that have “bet the farm” on a single resource type. Instead, Snitchler argues, a diverse mix of sources – from natural gas and renewables to battery storage and nuclear – is key to continued supply reliability and price competitiveness.

On nuclear, Snitchler notes that EPSA’s members own the largest nuclear fleets in the country, and he spotlights a number of recent project successes, including Constellation’s Crane Clean Energy Center and Vistra’s deal with Meta. He also discusses the bipartisan support for nuclear projects at the federal level, including funding announcements by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Povilaitis and Seltzer shift the conversation to a discussion on “speed to connectivity,” to which Snitchler highlights how efforts by Ohio, West Virginia and Pennsylvania are leading the way in eliminating barriers to infrastructure development and accelerating the build-out of increased power generation. The episode closes with a focus on climate concerns, as Snitchler describes how competitive markets have driven significant emissions reductions by retiring older, higher-emitting units and encouraging the deployment of newer, more efficient and lower-emitting plants.

To learn more about EPSA, visit https://epsa.org/

To learn more about Todd Snitchler, visit https://epsa.org/about-epsa/our-staff/snitchler/

To learn more about John Povilaitis, visit https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis

To learn more about Alan Seltzer, visit https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer

In this first part of a two-episode conversation, hosts John Povilaitis and Alan Seltzer are joined by Todd Snitchler, president and CEO of the Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA), the national trade association representing America’s competitive power suppliers. EPSA’s members own roughly 225,000 MW of competitive generating capacity – spanning natural gas, nuclear, geothermal, coal, wind, solar, hydro and battery storage – in markets ranging from the West Coast to Texas and the Northeast.

Snitchler is a self-described “recovering lawyer, politician and regulator” whose career spans service in the Ohio House of Representatives and as chair of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and the Ohio Power Siting Board. A lawyer by trade, he has also represented independent power producers on utility regulation, reliability and infrastructure development.

Across a wide-ranging conversation, Povilaitis, Seltzer and Snitchler unpack how competitive wholesale power markets work, contrast restructured markets with vertically integrated utility models and demystify regional transmission organizations. The trio also notes how the rapid growth of data centers has complicated load forecasting and outlines the measures states and utilities are implementing to mitigate these challenges.

To learn more about EPSA, visit https://epsa.org/

To learn more about Todd Snitchler, visit https://epsa.org/about-epsa/our-staff/snitchler/

To learn more about John Povilaitis, visit https://www.bipc.com/john-povilaitis

To learn more about Alan Seltzer, visit https://www.bipc.com/alan-seltzer