TOPICS

Gas turbine and combined cycle assets remain central to capacity growth, reliability and dispatch flexibility, making this topic critical for new builds, uprates, outages, performance improvements, fuel strategy, emissions compliance and project execution.

As data center load reshapes power demand, this topic examines the generation, interconnection, onsite power, hybrid supply, permitting, reliability and commercial strategies needed to serve large new loads while managing risk, timing and grid impacts.

As fleets age and operating profiles change, this topic focuses on the maintenance, reliability, inspection and life-extension strategies that help owner-operators improve performance, reduce forced outages, manage risk and maximize asset value.

Nuclear is regaining strategic importance as utilities and power producers weigh uprates, license extensions, unretirements and new build options to secure firm capacity, meet policy goals and manage long-term reliability and capital risk.

As load growth, retirements, market volatility and policy uncertainty reshape supply needs, this topic focuses on the planning decisions, modeling assumptions and portfolio strategies required to maintain reliable, financeable and buildable capacity.

As electricity demand accelerates and market signals shift, this topic explores how load growth, pricing, capacity needs and customer behavior are changing generation investment, dispatch strategies, risk management and long-term project development decisions.

Interconnection has become a critical gate for new generation, repowers and large load projects, shaping timelines, upgrade costs, siting decisions, commercial risk and the feasibility of getting capacity built and online.

With demand rising and schedules tightening, this topic covers the practical realities of moving power projects from concept to commercial operation, including permitting, contracting, procurement, execution risk, sequencing, cost control and delivery performance.

As power users pursue faster, more reliable energy supply, this topic examines onsite generation strategies, technology selection, permitting, fuel and integration decisions for data centers, industrial facilities, campuses and other large-load applications.

 

Digital modernization has become essential as fleets face tighter margins, leaner staffing and more complex operating demands, driving investment in controls, software, connectivity and workflows that improve visibility, reliability, decision-making and execution.

Supply chain and procurement have become critical project variables as long lead times, equipment constraints, price volatility and contracting decisions directly affect schedules, budgets, outage planning, execution risk and the ability to bring capacity online.

Outage execution is under greater pressure as fleets run harder and maintenance windows tighten, making planning, workforce coordination, parts availability, scope control and schedule discipline essential to reliability, safety, cost and return-to-service performance.

As project costs, schedules and supply risks become harder to control, this topic examines EPC and EPCM strategies, contract structures and risk allocation decisions that shape bankability, execution certainty and project outcomes.

Efficiency and emissions remain core operating priorities as owner-operators balance heat rate, output, compliance and asset life, making practical upgrades, controls, maintenance strategies and emissions solutions critical to performance and long-term viability.

Workforce, safety and compliance are growing operational priorities as plants face retirements, tighter labor markets and stricter requirements, making training, knowledge transfer, contractor management and safe execution essential to reliable performance.

Energy storage and hybrid systems are becoming more important as operators seek greater flexibility, resilience and grid value, creating new decisions around integration, controls, dispatch strategy, project economics, reliability and long-term asset performance.

Steam cycle and HRSG performance remain critical as combined cycle plants cycle more often and aging equipment faces new stress, making inspection, chemistry, maintenance and upgrade decisions essential to reliability, output and asset life.

As demand grows and new generation takes longer to bring online, this topic examines practical strategies for owner-operators to increase output, improve efficiency and reliability, and modernize existing assets as a faster, more executable path to added capacity.

Lifecycle management focuses on helping generation owners extend asset life, prioritize upgrades or replacement, manage risk and obsolescence, and maximize reliability, economics and long-term fleet value.

Emerging technologies explores new solutions—from CCS, hydrogen co-firing and long-duration storage to other innovations—that can improve generation development, operations, flexibility, maintenance and asset performance.

Hydropower remains a critical source of dispatchable and flexible generation, but many facilities face aging infrastructure, modernization needs and changing water management pressures. This topic addresses equipment upgrades, dam safety, operational optimization, relicensing, workforce needs and the practical realities of maintaining and improving hydro assets. For many operators, hydropower strategy is increasingly about preservation, modernization and extracting more value from existing infrastructure.