Interconnection is now one of the most important gating factors in generation development, repowers and large-load projects. This topic explores queue reform, study timelines, network upgrade costs, transmission constraints, site selection and the engineering and commercial decisions that determine whether projects move forward. For developers, utilities and large power users, interconnection risk increasingly drives schedule, cost and overall project viability.

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Interconnection Educational Opportunities 

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10:15 AM
  1. ERCOT Interconnection and IBR Integration: How the Connect-and-Manage Model Works in Practice
    250D
    50 mins
    ERCOT's interconnection process operates differently from the rest of the country. Under the connect-and-manage framework, each project is studied on its own merits under Planning Guide Section 5, rat …
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Tom McDonnell
    Tom McDonnell, Sr. Director, Energy Solutions - HOLT Group
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Atiqul Islam
    Atiqul Islam, Supervisor, Operation Stability Planning - Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)
    Speaker image for Riaz Khan
    Riaz Khan, Supervisor, Large Generation Interconnections - ERCOT
  2. Delivering Data Center Energy Campuses on Compressed Schedules: Development Strategies When Capital Commits Before Certainty Exists
    250F
    50 mins
    Data center energy campus projects are moving forward before load certainty, commercial terms, and interconnection outcomes are fully resolved. Developers and their partners are committing capital for …
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Patrick Daou
    Patrick Daou, Vice President - Sargent & Lundy
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Ronald Schoff
    Ronald Schoff, Senior Principal Energy Consultant - Sargent & Lundy
11:15 AM
  1. From Behind-the-Meter Isolation to Grid Partnership
    Exhibit Hall - Data Center & New Demand Zone Booth #5004
    50 mins
    Data centers are arriving on utility interconnection queues faster than the grid was designed to absorb them, and the default responses, behind-the-meter isolation or large inflexible load requests, a …
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Daniel Barbersek
    Daniel Barbersek, Director of Business Development - Mid-America Engine
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Pouyan Farzanehkari
    Pouyan Farzanehkari, Senior project development manager - HDR Engineering Inc.
1:30 PM
  1. BESS for Data Centers: Grid-Scale Risks and Behind-the-Meter Solutions
    250C
    50 mins
    NERC has raised specific concerns about the grid stability implications of large-scale inverter-based resources, and co-located data center BESS deployments are at the center of that conversation. As …
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Yves Masset
    Yves Masset, Director Development - NextEra Energy
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Sudipta Lahiri
    Sudipta Lahiri, Executive Director Development - NextEra
    Speaker image for Adam Loeding
    Adam Loeding, Vice President - Sargent & Lundy
  2. AI Data Center Load Impacts on Synchronous Generators: EMT Analysis and Voltage Support Technology Comparison
    251B
    50 mins
    AI data center load profiles, characterized by rapid, large-magnitude transients, create subsynchronous torsional interaction risks for nearby synchronous generators that conventional interconnection …
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Diane Fischer
    Diane Fischer, Director, Generation Services - Kiewit - Lenexa, KS
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Manish Jain
    Manish Jain, Senior Manager - Transmission Planning - Sargent & Lundy
  3. Concept to COD: De-risking Power Project Delivery in a Volatile Market
    250F
    50 mins
    Getting a power generation project from development decision to commercial operation has always been complex. In the current market, the variables are compounding: gas turbine lead times stretching to …
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Terri Poussard
    Terri Poussard, Vice President, Power Generation Practice Lead - HDR Engineering Inc.
2:30 PM
  1. Hot Rock, Real Risk: What Early Geothermal Projects Are Teaching Power Developers
    250D
    50 mins
    Geothermal offers firm, carbon-free capacity. Getting there requires navigating a set of execution risks that early projects are now quantifying in practice.  This session examines geothermal from the …
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Tina Wolff
    Tina Wolff, Director of Strategic Development - Kokosing Industrial
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Megan Reusser
    Megan Reusser, Technology Manager - Burns & McDonnell
11:15 AM
  1. Firm Solar: How Co-Located Storage Unlocks Capacity Factors Above 60%
    251A
    50 mins
    In high-resource solar areas, co-locating oversized solar arrays with long-duration battery storage can produce firm capacity factors that rival geothermal or nuclear, at substantially lower cost. A 1 …
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Blair Loftis
    Blair Loftis, VP Renewable Energy - Westwood Professional Services
    Speaker image for Mahesh Morjaria
    Mahesh Morjaria, EVP, Technical Strategy - Terabase Energy
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Marcelo Aguiar
    Marcelo Aguiar, Senior Project Manager, Renewables Innovation Team - NextEra
1:30 PM
  1. Planning for Load We Can’t Ignore
    250C
    50 mins
    Hyperscale data center load is arriving on timelines that conventional interconnection and transmission development cannot match. The structural mismatch between when capacity is needed and when it ca …
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Patricia Scroggin-Wicker
    Patricia Scroggin-Wicker, Director New Energy Solutions - Burns & McDonnell
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Ahad Esmaeilian
    Ahad Esmaeilian, Power & Utilities Sector Leader - US - GHD Inc.
9:30 AM
  1. Utility Reality Check: Interconnection, Reliability and Large-Load Negotiation
    Exhibit Hall - Center Stage Booth #3535
    50 mins
    Data center power strategies do not develop in a vacuum. Utilities are being asked to serve extremely large loads on accelerated timelines while managing reserve margins, transmission constraints, int …
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Thomas Popik
    Thomas Popik, Chairman and President - Foundation for Resilient Societies
11:30 AM
  1. Data Center Demand and RICE Power
    Exhibit Hall - Data Center & New Demand Zone Booth #5004
    50 mins
    Interconnection queues in many regions now run five to eight years. Data center campuses are arriving in 50 to 300 MW blocks on 12 to 24 month timelines. The mismatch is a system planning problem that …
    Chairperson
    Speaker image for Greg Martin
    Greg Martin, Director of Business Development - DTE Energy
    Speakers
    Speaker image for Jaisen Mody
    Jaisen Mody, Senior Consultant - JSJS Consulting LLC

Other Interconnection News

Visit Our Official Media Partner, Factor This Power Engineering, for more Interconnection News

PJM puts generator performance at the center of its cold-weather plans

Forecast winter demand has climbed 7,500 MW since 2022 and is now above PJM’s all-time peak, while new supply lags and reserve margins tighten.
November 09, 2026
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NRC finalizes rule to fast-track commercial licensing of advanced nuclear reactors

A new U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission rule aims to speed advanced nuclear reactor licensing by allowing developers to reuse federal safety evaluations and testing.
October 27, 2026
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Can this bipartisan Senate bill fix the grueling energy permitting timeline?

Senators from both parties reached a deal on legislation to expedite permitting for energy projects, aiming for a vote after the midterms.
October 02, 2026
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Hydropower licensing requirements have exploded. The industry says the grid could pay.

With more than 12 GW of hydropower facing relicensing over the next decade, NHA says rising regulatory requirements could threaten existing generation.
September 17, 2026
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