Aug 08

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Sep 05

Operations Conference Planning Meeting – Virtual (Aug 08-Sep 05)

Join over 200 of your utility peers to help select topics for the 2023 Operations Conference. Work with other energy companies and learn what they are doing to tackle the issues facing our industry. You will meet your Program Development Team at the virtual planning meeting and collaborate to prioritize and select topics for the 2023 agenda. In the following months, you will continue to meet virtually to identify the speakers and content you want to share at the conference. Throughout the process, you will refine the session content and format to best engage the audience and promote discussion on-site. This program is only open to WEI members.

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General Details

Program Chair
Joe Karney, Senior Director of Operations, NW Natural

Program Location
Virtual Event
No travel required. All agenda times are in Pacific time. Instructions to access the virtual event will be provided to the attendee before the program.

Who Should Attend
Electric and Gas Operations Leaders and Individual Contributors:
• Control and Systems Operations – operators and management
• Engineering professionals and management
• Gas line emergency management, operations, and pipeline safety/integrity management
• System Planning for electric and gas functions
• Substation design, maintenance, and operations
• Electric Transmission design, maintenance, and operations
• Environmental personnel working with operations functions
• Safety work methods professionals and leadership
• Customer Operations and front-line service people
• Corporate Support Employees looking to expand their understanding of operations issues

Time and Travel Commitment for Program Development Team Members

• Attend the virtual Operations Conference Planning meeting for your track.
• Attend the 2023 Operations Conference scheduled for April 25-28, 2023, at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort in Phoenix, Arizona.
• Participate in developing your topic and session by attending regularly scheduled conference calls from September 2022 – March 2023.
• Coordinate with speakers and other team members as needed.
• Responsibilities may also include submitting written content for use on the WEI website and other collateral, and on-site facilitation at the Operations Conference.

Registration Options
Registration is free for WEI members.

Registration includes access to all agenda items and digital program materials.

General Cancellation Policy
To best serve WEI members and program participants during the COVID-19 pandemic, WEI will be waiving its standard cancellation policy for this virtual program. Registrants can receive a full refund should they need to cancel their registration up to the day before the program begins.

Participation Policy
Western Energy Institute programs and events are open to energy companies (including gas production and electric generation, gas and electric transmission and gas and electric distribution utilities). Select programs and events are open to energy industry product and service suppliers. Programs and events are closed to all media representatives and to the general public. Recording is not permitted for any portion of the event.

For more information contact Beverly Woolf, Director of Programs at (971) 303-2294.

Agenda

Virtual Meeting Schedule
Each track will meet separately to kick off the planning for the 2023 Operations Conference. All tracks will meet from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM (Pacific) on the dates listed below. The virtual meeting room link and planning materials for your designated track will be sent ahead of the meeting.

Tuesday, August 9, 2022
Operational Leadership

Thursday, August 11, 2022
Grid of the Future

Tuesday, August 16, 2022
Gas Damage Prevention + Integrity Management
Electric Transmission

Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Gas Operational Excellence
Methane Emission Reduction
Planning for Decarbonization

Tuesday, August 23, 2022
Electric Distribution
Safety: People + Process + Assets

Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Role of Gas in a Decarbonized Future

Thursday, August 25, 2022
Gas Emergency Management + Response
Grid Resilience
Workforce Development

Tuesday, August 30, 2022
Electric Substation

Tracks

Electric Distribution

Description: Topics that may be covered by this track include, evolving work practices, asset management, decarbonization, technical skills development, lineman of the future, and best practices.

Electric Substation

Description: Topics that may be covered by this track include, evolving work practices, asset management, decarbonization, technical skills development, test man of the future, and best practices.

Electric Transmission

Description: Topics that may be covered by this track include, evolving work practices, asset management, decarbonization, SF6, technical skills development, lineman of the future, and best practices.

Gas Damage Prevention + Integrity Management
(Formerly Damage Prevention and Natural Gas Integrity Management, now combined)

Description: The character of risk is changing so the Damage Prevention + Integrity Management track will share best practices regarding damage prevention best practices, material traceability, discuss DIMP issues, and learn how utilities are addressing them through construction and design.

Gas Emergency Management + Response
(Formerly Natural Gas Emergency Response + Restoration)

Description: Emergency management and response are of vital importance for any natural gas company. Learn how the industry handles some of the unique challenges with regards to planning, preparation, and partnerships as well as innovative initiatives.

Gas Operational Excellence

Description: The Natural Gas Operational Excellence track focuses on the latest innovations and trends to enhance gas delivery, quality assurance, and safety with a specific look at drones, data, and cybersecurity.

Grid of the Future

Description: Topics that may be covered by this track include asset management and decarbonization.

Grid Resilience

Description: Topics that may be covered by this track include asset management, wildfires, and decarbonization.

Methane Emission Reduction
(New for 2023)

Description: How gas utilities are exploring new technologies to detect, repair, and reduce emissions from pipelines and facilities.

Operational Leadership

Description: This track will focus on how we can continue improvements by investing in future leaders and high potentials. It will explore ways to lead through both industry disruption and daily challenges to create resilient leaders for the future through topics such as leading a hybrid workforce, unique ways utilities are attracting talent, and rotational assignments.

Planning for Decarbonization
(New for 2023)

Description: Topics that may be covered by this track include clean energy, system planning/transmission, DER, how do we incentivize to meet our goals, rate pressures and regulatory constraints

Role of Gas in a Decarbonized Future
(Formerly Low Carbon Fuels)

Description: Will delve into how natural gas is key to our environmentally focused future. Session topics cover new industry focuses such as how to incorporate new pipeline fuels such as Renewable Natural Gas and Renewable Hydrogen in your pipeline system. Come join us as we explore the exciting future of our natural gas industry.

Safety: People + Process + Assets
(Formerly Safety + Health and Safety Management Systems, now combined)

Description: This track will cover both traditional Safety and Health and Safety Management Systems. It’s the track for everyone! Whether you work with electricity or gas, in the field or in the office, the people, processes, and assets that contribute to safety and health are of paramount importance to our industry.

Workforce Development

Description: With the solid presence of three generations in the workforce today, it is more important now than ever to step up your game in developing your workforce. The Workforce Development track is a combination track that speaks to all audiences, both gas and electric. This track will dive into an array of topics such as growing and leading through change, workforce of the future, exploring how new technology is changing the way we train, as well as knowledge delivery, transfer, and management.