As utilities modernize the electric grid to address increasing demand growth, renewable integration, electrification, aging infrastructure, and extreme weather events, engineers and planners face growing challenges in maintaining both system reliability and community resilience. This panel will bring together utility leaders, industry experts, and young practitioners to discuss how transmission and distribution organizations are adapting planning, operations, and workforce strategies to ensure reliable and resilient power delivery.

The discussion will focus on practical utility experiences, lessons learned, and emerging technologies supporting grid modernization while balancing operational reliability, safety, sustainability, and affordability. The panel will highlight the role of engineers in enabling resilient communities through transmission and distribution planning, protection, automation, operational coordination, and infrastructure investment.