Northwest Energy Systems Symposium (NWESS) 2026 - Powering Progress "Navigating a Transforming Utility Landscape"

#Northwest #Energy #Systems #Symposium #NWESS
Share

NWESS 2026 is at the University of Washington Alder Hall Commons April 1&2.

The format is in person only with Keynote Speaker, presentations and panel discussions.

The registration fees, $220 IEEE member, $270 Non-IEEE member and $30 students, includes lunches and breaks.

Fees are set to recover costs.

 

The theme of the NWESS 2026 conference is Powering Progress “Navigating a Transforming Utility Landscape”. 

NWESS 2026 is a 2 day symposium that focuses on a wide range of topics and provides information on how to best address some of the most pressing energy issues facing our region.

The symposium is an industry driven conference; the topics are suggested and voted on by the Industry. The symposium is a combination of presentations and discussions.

Key Note Speakers to open the conference 

  • Michel Vargo, Puget Sound Energy

Topics to be presented at NWESS 2026 include:

  • Risk Based Management (wildfire mitigation)
  • Seismic Transformer Study
  • Transformer Loading
  • AI for Power Utilities by NVIDIA & NEETRAC
  • Preparing for Middle Housing and EPRI Tool for Secondary Design
  • Load Seer - Top Down and Bottom Up and how you plan for electrification and climate change
  • Data Center Load Growth -The Opportunity, The Risk and the Reality
  • Integrated Load Planning Study
  • EPRI E-Roadmap Tool / NEVI
  • The Grid Center for Reliable Electricity Delivery (GridCRED)

NWESS  is sponsored by the electric energy industry in the Pacific Northwest, the IEEE and the Electrical Energy program at the University of Washington.

University of Washington, Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Bonneville Power Administration

Electric Power Systems Inc

Snohomish County PUD

Puget Sound Energy

Seattle City Light

Peninsula Light

Tacoma Power


  Date and Time

  Location

  Hosts

  Registration


  • Add_To_Calendar_icon Add Event to Calendar
  • Contact Event Host

  • University of Washington

     

     

  • Starts 11 January 2026 08:00 AM UTC
  • Ends 01 April 2026 07:00 AM UTC
  • Admission fee ?

  Speakers

Topic:

NWESS Day 1 - Speakers and Agenda

7:00am 8:00am Registration Open, Light Breakfast at 7:15
8:00am 8:15am Welcome & Opening Remarks
8:15am 9:45am

Keynote Speaker - Michelle Vargo, Puget Sound Energy
9:45am 10:30am Break - Refreshments Provided
10:45am 11:20am  DERMS 
11:20am 12:00pm
Database for Wildfire Mitigation Plan 
12:00pm 1:00pm Box Lunch - Provided
1:00pm 1:45pm Seismic Transformer Study
1:45pm 2:00pm Break - Refreshments Provided
2:00pm 2:45pm Panel Session for Supply Chain Issue and Mitigation Strategies Related to Transformers
2:45pm 3:30pm Transformer Loading/FERC Order 881 
3:30pm 4:00pm Integrated Load Planning Study 
4:00pm 4:30pm EPRI E-Roadmap Tool / NEVI
4:30pm 5:00pm The Grid Center for Reliable Electricity Delivery (GridCRED™)

Topic:

NWESS Day 2 - Speakers and Agenda

7:00am 8:00am Registration Open, Light Breakfast at 7:15
8:00am 8:45am Load Seer - (Top Down and Bottom Up and how you plan for electrification and climate change)
8:45am 9:30am Preparing for Middle Housing and EPRI Tool for Secondary Design
9:30am 9:45am BREAK - Refreshments Provided
9:45am 10:45am Data Centers: The Opportunity, The Risk, and The Reality 
10:45am 11:30am BPA Allocation of Capacity / BPA to talk about Markets Plus Choice over EDAM
11:30am 12:30pm Box Lunch - Provided
12:30pm 1:15pm Grid Enhancing Technologies
1:15pm 2:00pm Panel - Challenges for new transmission line routing, push back from the public, to meet load growth.  Other utilities experiences.
2:00pm 2:15pm BREAK
2:15pm 3:00pm Energy Justice or Energy Equity - 
How are changes in federal energy policy impacting grants when in the context of DEI
3:00pm 3:45pm AI for Power Utilities by NVIDIA 
3:45pm 4:30pm AI for Power Utilities by NEETRAC 
4:30pm 4:40pm Closing Comments, Event Survey, Feedback





Agenda

The NWESS 2026 full program and agenda with speaker biographies and abstacts are available at www.nwess.org

Parking: The closest option is the central parking garage, entrance on 15th Ave NE and NE 41st.

Public transportation: Consider using the link light rail to the U-district station. 


Registration: IEEE members $220, None IEEE members $270 Active students are $30.

Registration Fee includes light breakfast, break refreshments and lunch.

Registration as a undergraduate student requires an education, *.edu, email address.

To register more than one person, follow the IEEE instructions on How to Register Multiple People in a Single Transaction