Since June 2007, power utility planning and operations in the US and Canada have been governed by mandatory regulations focused on power system reliability. After nearly two decades under these mandatory rules, regulators and utilities are finding it increasingly difficult to adapt reliability regulations quickly enough to keep pace with the speed of the transformative changes occurring in the industry. These changes are largely driven by the shift toward intermittent generating resources, such as wind and solar, and the substantial number of proposals for large, city-sized load additions to support the Artificial Intelligence (AI) capability build out. The traditional business model for electric utility planning and operations, as well as the process for evolving and enhancing reliability regulations, are being fundamentally challenged by the extraordinary pace and demand for change spurred by the rapid growth of AI.
In this talk, Herb will provide a brief overview of the regulatory journey since the 2003 Northeast Blackout, which marked the beginning of the recognition of the need for mandatory reliability regulations. He will also discuss some of the key challenges that are currently being addressed through these regulations as the industry continues to evolve.
Herb Schrayshuen holds an undergraduate degree in engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology (1976), a master’s degree in Electric Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI, 1978), and an MBA from RPI (1982). Over his utility career, he worked at American Electric Power, Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, and National Grid, gaining experience in disciplines such as engineering, asset management, and power procurement. He concluded his utility career as Vice President and Director of National Grid’s NERC compliance program.
Following his time in the utility sector, Mr. Schrayshuen worked in the regulatory sector with the SERC Reliability Corporation and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. He then spent 12 years as a consultant specializing in power systems reliability regulation.
Herb is a Life Member of IEEE and is a Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of New York.