HR

The power industry’s ambitious expansion plans for 2026 face an unexpected obstacle that has nothing to do with technology, regulations, or capital: there simply aren’t enough skilled workers to build and

What does it mean to be neurodivergent? The term basically applies to people whose brains work in an atypical fashion. It was coined in the 1990s to counter stigma against people with autism, ADHD

You often hear it said that government should be run more like a business. But a senior industry executive with cabinet-level experience in the Reagan and Bush II administrations explains why it’s not that simple.

As the energy sector transforms and innovates into a decarbonized, digitalized industry, it is crucial that talent pools are available with the right balance of skills and experience to deliver the projects and operations needed for a brighter tomorrow. NES Fircroft, a staffing company dedicated to providing the skilled engineers and technical workforce needed to […]

Investments in technology, infrastructure, and service can only take a utility so far. Without organizational agility, employee expertise, innovation, and creativity, true and sustainable transformation is

Utilities represent one of the least diverse industries in the U.S. today, being 85% white and 80% male, according to a 2020 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey. The clarion call from policymakers, shareholders, and communities for significant social change has driven many U.S. utilities to create diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals in response. […]

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in January that the number of wage and salary workers belonging to unions decreased to 14.3 million in 2020, down 321,000 (2.2%) from 2019. That was the bad news

It was about a year ago that COVID-19 gained the world’s attention. The first laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Jan. 22

In “Principles-Based Operations: A Military-Proven Method Part I,” I alluded to the institutionalization of the military service. Specifically, I wrote about the U.S. Navy’s nuclear power program and some of the principles that make it successful. These high-level values are instilled in recruits through the training process and during day-to-day interactions. In Part I, I […]

Engineering empowers society in so many unprecedented ways, and with innovation at its core, the profession recognizes reaching its full potential requires the inclusivity of all segments of society. Two years

September 16, 2020, Littleton, CO. The Hydropower Foundation announced the 2020 Julie Keil Scholarship Recipient is Ka’Liyah Burnett. A sophomore at the University of Maryland, pursuing a Mechanical Engineering degree. Ka’Liyah is the third winner of the scholarship, which was established in 2015 to honor Julie Keil, a passionate leader known for balancing the interests […]

Many companies say their employees are their greatest assets, yet they don’t all invest the time or resources necessary to find the best people for open positions. Creating a sound recruiting program and

Dr. Harold Hardaway and Shannon Hernandez / Cardigan With only a day’s or two notice, organizations found themselves required to send their folks home and set up remote work protocols. Employers and employees alike were quickly learning the nuances of Zoom meetings, with catchphrases like, “I think you’re on mute,” and “Is it your WiFi […]

The COVID-19 outbreak and efforts to halt the spread of the virus are having a real impact at the Vogtle nuclear expansion construction site, but project starts elsewhere were robust in March. Cutting Workforce Due to COVID-19 On April 15, Georgia Power announced in an 8-K filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that […]

It’s well-known that many of the workers and leaders in the energy sector are approaching retirement age, with 25% eligible in the next 5 years and 50% eligible in the next 10 years. With fewer and fewer people filling the talent bench and an industry that’s fighting a negative public perception, the situation is only […]

It’s a time of great transition in the power industry. Not only are generation resources changing, but so are the work skills needed to operate and maintain those resources. Meanwhile, a large number of workers are reaching retirement age, leaving open positions that had long been filled by highly experienced staff. And the talent pool […]

Birmingham, Alabama: Terence R. Donnelly, President and Chief Operating Officer for Commonwealth Edison Company, an Exelon company, was elected President of AEIC during the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies (AEIC) 2019 Annual Meeting. Also elected to serve as officers of AEIC at the Association’s 135th Annual Meeting were Jim Greer, Executive Vice President and Chief […]

Niskayuna, NY – The Northeast Hydro Think Tank sponsors–GE Renewable Energy, Brookfield Renewable, New York Power Authority and the Hydropower Foundation–are pleased to announce that the competition begins May 20. The sponsors believe that hydro industry real-world problems can be tackled by the next generation of leaders through education and hands-on experience. This intense four […]

PG&E Corp. announced on April 3 the appointment of William “Bill” Johnson as the company’s new president and CEO. It also announced the appointment of 10 new directors to its board of directors. The board appointments will be effective as of the next in-person board meeting, which will be held as soon as practicable, the […]

What keeps you up at night? The question has become cliché as panel moderators now routinely ask it as a “thought-provoking” final query to close out executive roundtable sessions at industry conferences

GE announced that H. Lawrence Culp Jr. has been named chairman and CEO of the company replacing John Flannery effective immediately. GE’s board of directors voted unanimously on the decision, and it also appointed Thomas W. Horton as lead director. In a press release, GE specifically cited weak performance in the GE Power business for […]

As the electric power industry moves forward with new technology, the workforce that is needed to design, build, and manage the next generation of systems will undergo an equal if not greater transformation

Service delivery models are today undergoing unprecedented change to accommodate the needs of customers trying to navigate business and market uncertainties. Around the world, industrial manufacturers are facing new and familiar challenges ranging from economic and competitive pressures and the tightening availability of resources, to aging workforces, rising technology and operating costs, and heightened focus […]

If you’re a power plant supervisor, you’ve undoubtedly been forced to find a worker during off-hours on the spur of the moment. New tools are being used today that allow automating the callout process—and workforce schedule. Last summer City Utilities (CU) of Springfield, Missouri, joined a list of power companies automating workforce scheduling and callout […]

It’s become a cliché that government would be better if it were only run by private-sector managers using standard business practices. However, there are significant differences between the private sector and government. This quiz is designed to test your knowledge of those differences. Create your own user feedback survey To learn 18 more differences, read “25 Differences Between […]

For most of the history of the power industry, utility jobs were secure and long-tenured. Though they continue to offer greater stability than many other comparably paid jobs, forces on both sides of the

New worker training has traditionally meant classroom instruction and wading through a big pile of printed materials. But videos can offer deeper and more rapid understanding of critical issues, especially for younger generations. The Electric Power Research Institute has developed a series of videos to help power plants train new workers more effectively. Inexperienced new […]

Coal-fired power plants around the U.S. are closing—rapidly. It’s a trend that will continue for the foreseeable future as dozens more units are slated for closure in the next few years. According to a

Broadly put, today’s power plant operations are a mix of automated operations and manual or procedural steps. A plant may have hundreds of control loops, interlocks, permissives, and safety systems. In

In the January issue, I introduced the concepts of highly reliable organizing (HRO) and resilience engineering with a promise to address the remaining principles. As a quick review of the first article