In this episode of Always On: Reliability and Focus, CRA’s Andy Dressel speaks with Scott Aronson, former senior vice president at the Edison Electric Institute, about how the electric power sector is navigating a rapidly evolving risk landscape.

After decades of relatively flat demand, the grid is entering a new growth era driven by data centers, electrification, and advanced manufacturing, while also facing increased cyber threats, physical security risks, and climate-related disruptions.

Scott and Andy explore how the industry’s longstanding focus on resilience through redundancy, coordination, and planning is enabling utilities to respond effectively to these challenges, even as the pace of change accelerates.

They also discuss the role of emerging technologies such as AI, which can both strengthen defenses and introduce new risks, and highlight the growing importance of physical security, including the evolving threat posed by low-cost, widely accessible tools like drones.

By the end of the episode, listeners will understand why resilience, not just prevention, is central to the future of the grid, and why building it into new infrastructure today is critical to ensuring reliable, secure power in an increasingly complex operating environment.

In this episode of Always on: Reliability in focus, CRA VP and host Andy Dressel speaks with Willie Phillips, former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), about the implications of unprecedented electricity demand growth driven by data centers and other large loads.

After decades of relatively flat demand, the pace and scale of new load are challenging planning frameworks, regulatory processes, and infrastructure development timelines across the US electric system.

Willie, now a partner at Holland & Knight LLP, and Andy discuss recent federal actions aimed at accelerating interconnection and transmission development.

Though progress is being made, both speakers emphasize the importance of flexibility, regional differences, and coordination between federal and state regulators as jurisdictional lines blur.

By the end of the episode, listeners will understand why greater alignment across regulators, markets, and infrastructure sectors is critical to ensuring the grid can support long-term economic growth while maintaining dependable, resilient service.

In the CRA Sessions podcast series Always on: Reliability in focus, CRA VP and host Andrew Dressel talks with Dr. Michael Wara, a leading authority on wildfire and energy policy. Dr. Wara is the Director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and the Senior Director of Policy and Sustainability Accelerator at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.

Together they discuss one of the most pressing challenges facing the energy sector today: the growing threat of utility-caused wildfires and the sweeping changes required to mitigate them.

The conversation dives into critical topics such as aging infrastructure, wildfire mitigation plans, the trade-offs between reliability and safety, and why solving this issue demands a whole-of-society approach and not just utility action.

Listeners will gain insight into the technologies, policies, and cultural shifts, shaping the future of grid resilience in an era of climate-driven challenges.