From RMEL Executive Director Rick Putnicki
It is hard to believe we already have two months of 2023 in our rearview mirror. It is safe to say the consensus from the membership describes our industry in one word...BUSY! We share that feeling, especially now as we return to our pre-COVID offerings and begin to take on our version of March Madness! Our Education Committees are hustling to put those quality in-person events together throughout March and April, then off to Kansas City for our Spring Conference. Look below to take advantage of the opportunity to enhance your professional development and network!
Registration for RMEL’s 2023 Spring Conference is Open – Join us May 22-24 in Kansas City, MO!
Register and Book Your Discounted Hotel Room in RMEL’s block (hotel booking deadline is April 30th, 2023).
Spring is in the air and RMEL is excited share that registration is OPEN for the 2023 Spring Conference! Taking place Monday, May 22nd through Wednesday, May 24th at the InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza Hotel, we are all ready to enjoy knowledge sharing, professional development, education and networking opportunities, camaraderie, and of course: famous Kansas City BBQ!
Take advantage of timely and relevant content in the 25+ technical sessions that tie together trends, technology, operations, engineering, leadership, and culture to build toward the electric energy future. We will share more details about the program soon, but in the meantime, check out the Agenda At-A-Glance for a sneak preview of the preliminary topics and events that comprise the 2023 Spring Conference! (Topics, titles, times, and presenters are subject to change – visit the 2023 Spring Conference event page for the most up to date information).
If you are managing people or projects, engineering, planning or operating systems in the electric utility industry, this conference is for you. The Spring Conference has been a tradition since RMEL’s early beginnings. Known for providing outstanding continuing education and networking opportunities, this conference covers generation, transmission, distribution, and management topics. The topics and breakout structure of the conference allow attendees to customize their education experience to focus on presentations and resources that align with their needs. Ample time is also provided to network with industry peers including the golf outing, networking breaks and meals, and evening receptions.
In the meantime, book your room at the InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza Hotel and receive the special RMEL room block discounted rate of $194. To reserve your room, click the "Book a Room" link above to open the hotel's website where you will click 'book now'. Enter the dates of your stay within the block dates (May 21 - May 24) and click 'Search' to receive the RMEL Spring Conference group rates and room availability.
We hope to see you in Kansas City!
RMEL's Upcoming Educational Conferences & Workshops
We will continue to offer additional in-person and virtual events in the months leading up to the 2023 Spring Conference. Please visit the RMEL Events and Education Calendar webpage for the most up-to-date list of offerings, and reference the below Upcoming Event List in this newsletter to learn more and register. Our Committees, made up of RMEL Members, strives to organize timely, important, and thoughtful educational and networking events, and we are looking forward to a full year of these opportunities curated by our members, for our members. We hope to see you soon at an upcoming event!
2023 RMEL Emerging Leader Award Nominations are Due in March!
The deadline to submit nominations is Monday, March 20th, 2023.
Do you mentor or have colleagues who are up-and-coming leaders in their company? Show your support and submit them for nomination for the RMEL Emerging Leader Award! RMEL's Emerging Leader Award recognizes and honors individual members who have made significant contributions within their organization, and have demonstrated the potential for leadership and outstanding service for the electric utility industry. The nominee must have no less than 5 years of experience, and no more than 10 years' experience within the industry. The 2023 award will be conferred at the 2023 RMEL Spring Management, Engineering, and Operations Conference taking place May 22 - May 24 in Kansas City, MO.
RMEL as your Resource
As always, please consider RMEL a resource to you and your organization. Please share those development opportunities with your peers, workgroups and your professional network! Also, do not hesitate to reach out to us with topics or workshops you would deem beneficial to our industry.
Thank you all! Have a safe and successful March!
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RESCHEDULED WORKSHOP: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ELECTRIC UTILITY --- Thursday, March 16th, 2023 | 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. MDT (Denver, CO).
2023 RMEL SAFETY CONFERENCE --- March 23rd – March 24th, 2023 (Tempe, AZ).
TRANSMISSION & SUBSTATION RENEWABLES CONFERENCE --- March 28th – March 29th, 2023 (Westminster, CO).
2023 RMEL DISTRIBUTION ENGINEERS WORKSHOP --- April 4th – April 5th, 2023 (Kansas City, MO).
2023 RMEL SPRING CONFERENCE --- May 22nd – May 24th, 2023 (Kansas City, MO). Stay tuned for more event details and information coming soon!
AUGUST 2023 SAFETY ROUNDTABLE --- August 10th, 2023 (Lakewood, CO).
2023 RMEL FALL CONVENTION --- September 11th – September 13th, 2023 (Phoenix, AZ). Stay tuned for more event details and information coming!
RMEL's trusted network is now accessible on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. These are forums intended for RMEL members only. Working side-by-side in a cooperative manner, RMEL members band together for the common goal of bettering the industry and improving service for utility customers. For more than 100 years, these key principles have proven successful and, more importantly, are tried and true methods for building strong business relationships.
RMEL Champions is a prestigious group of RMEL supporters with access to useful and beneficial promotional opportunities. Thank you, 2022 RMEL Champions!
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Under the rubric “Managed Threat Protection & Response” the company is offering a “proactive threat hunting and response capability” — a one-stop shop — for critical infrastructure companies, from electric to water utilities, to oil refineries and rigs, to pipelines.
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Three U.S. senators, including the two leaders of the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee, have introduced bipartisan legislation directing the U.S. Department of Energy to establish a nuclear fuel program to strengthen domestic production.
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Basin Electric has chosen the technology group Wärtsilä to provide the generating capacity for Pioneer Generation Station Phase IV the cooperative’s largest single-site electric generation project since the 1980s. Pioneer Generation Station Phase IV will generate up to 583 megawatts of natural gas electricity near the existing Pioneer Generation Station, northwest of Williston, North Dakota.
The Coal Users’ Group (CUG) during their annual meeting held earlier this week in Orlando, Florida named Platte River Power Authority’s (Platte River) Rawhide Energy Station the 2023 Plant of the Year.
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LES’ annual Competitive Market Study determined that the utility ranked 3rd best for the lowest residential all-in price and 16th best for the lowest average all-in price among 87 cities surveyed nationwide when including all retail sectors, said Joe Cocklin, manager, LES Rates & Analytics.
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Hydrogen fuel could be a more viable alternative to traditional fossil fuels, according to University of Surrey researchers who have found that a type of metal-free catalysts could contribute to the development of cost-effective and sustainable hydrogen production technologies.
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