[IEEE-KC PES/IAS] 2026 Technical Seminar 1 of 4 - Large Load Day
The IEEE-KC PES/IAS Joint Chapter is excited to announce its Technical Seminar Series for Spring 2026!
This year we will again have an in-person hybrid format, although we will also offer a virtual option. Please see below for location details.
Topics for this year are:
- April 7 (Tuesday) - Large Load Day
- April 14 (Tuesday) - Industrial Applications Day
- April 21 (Tuesday) - Inverter-Based Resources Day
- April 28 (Tuesday) - Motor Bus Transfer and DER Modernization Day (Virtual Only)
Registration links:
April 7th: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/533913
April 14th: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/550966
April 21st: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/550977
April 28th: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/550982
Fee Schedule:
- In-person registration cost (IEEE members): $5 with PDH
- In-person registration cost (non-IEEE members): $10 with PDH
- Online registration cost: $5 with PDH
- Student: $0
Agenda:
Doors to the in-person event open at 5:00pm. Dinner will be served at approximately 5:00pm.
The evening's seminar will include two or three presentations and will begin promptly at 6:00pm CDT. Each presentation will include one or two breaks, as well as a short quiz and survey. Completion of the quiz will be required to receive a PDH certificate.
PES Officer & Volunteer team contact information:
- Evergy: Jason Weil (jason.weil@evergy.com); Luis Gonzalez (luis.gonzalez@evergy.com)
- Burns & McDonnell: Mahfooz Hilaly (mhilaly@burnsmcd.com); Jason Ottens (jpottens@burnsmcd.com)
- Siemens: Chris Dyer (christopher.dyer@siemens.com)
- Kiewit: Tony Locatelli (tony.locatelli@kiewit.com)
- Black & Veatch: Soham Ghosh (Soham.Ghosh@bv.com)
- Univ. of Central Missouri: Mohammad Sadi (sadi@ucmo.edu)
Parking Directions:
Events will be held in Kiewit's K3 building. Please see the illustrations below for parking directions:
Date and Time
Location
Hosts
Registration
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- 8890 Penrose Ln
- Lenexa, Kansas
- United States 66219
- Building: K3
- Starts 02 March 2026 06:00 AM UTC
- Ends 07 April 2026 04:00 PM UTC
- Admission fee ?
Speakers
Ravi Varanasi of 1898 & Co.
Navigating the Demand of Large Load Customers and their Impacts on Grid Stability
Biography:
Ravikanth is a Senior Managing Director at 1898 & Co., part of Burns & McDonnell. He has over 25 years of experience in transmission planning and development, utility system planning and transmission studies consulting. Ravi is proficient in transmission planning and system operations, energy markets, NERC compliance, energy policy, transmission regulatory affairs, transmission design, project management, power markets modeling and energy price forecasting.
He has experience with studies related to large Transmission projects and FACTS solutions, and has provided consulting services across the US and Canada. He is involved in many FERC 1000 projects in CANADA and the US, and was a part of a team that bid on 6 projects. He has provided consulting services to help clients define FERC 1000 projects in many ISO/RTOs across the US. His strong technical background, coupled with his business acumen, has enabled him to consistently manage projects to the client’s utmost satisfaction, on time and within budget.
Mr. Varanasi obtained his master's in Electric Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY. He is a professional engineer in Washington.
Rekha Jagaduri of Lancium Energy
Data Center development by the developer
Biography:
Rekha Jagaduri is a seasoned engineering executive with more than 23 years of experience leading complex renewable energy and power infrastructure projects across solar, wind, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and microgrids.
She has held senior leadership roles at companies including Endurant Energy, Enchanted Rock, HDR, and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, where she has led large multidisciplinary teams, managed portfolios exceeding $500 million, and delivered large-scale projects across multiple U.S. energy markets. Her expertise spans project development, engineering strategy, grid interconnection, microgrid architecture, and operational technology systems such as NOC, EMS and SCADA.
Rekha holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering and is a licensed Professional Engineer in Texas. She is also an active contributor to the power engineering community with numerous technical publications and a track record of driving innovation and operational excellence in the energy sector.
Sergey Kynev of Siemens
E-STATCOM Technology
Biography:
Sergey Kynev has spent the past 15 years designing and delivering grid stability solutions at Siemens. His work focuses on grid stability technologies, inverter-based resources, and the integration of large data centers into modern power systems. Sergey is an active contributor to working groups within IEEE, Cigre and NERC, where he collaborates on advancing standards and best practices for evolving grid challenges. He is based in Raleigh, North Carolina.