USEA To Hold a Virtual Press Briefing on the Threat of Wildfires to Electric Utilities, and Best Suppression Techniques
The United States Energy Association's press briefing on Zoom is set for Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m. EDT.
Every year, fires become an even greater threat to electric utilities and their customers. Electric utilities are obliged to improve their infrastructure and fire management techniques.”
WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, September 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- “Fire: The Existential Threat for Utilities” is the title of the United States Energy Association’s briefing, which will be broadcast live on Zoom on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m. EDT.— Llewellyn King
The briefing will cover everything that makes wildfires — which are almost year-round in some places — such a cause of concern to electric utilities.
Fires have wreaked havoc in the American West, Canada, Europe, Siberia and in Asia, especially in Indonesia.
The price in loss is horrific: Lives are lost, homes and businesses are destroyed, livestock and domestic and wild animals are killed, and crops are wiped out. Recovery is slow and expensive — and the scars remain.
Pacific Gas and Electric, the giant West Coast utility, was forced into bankruptcy by fires-related litigation.
As usual with USEA virtual press briefings, which are organized and hosted by broadcaster and nationally syndicated columnist Llewellyn King, a panel of senior journalists who cover energy will question a panel of experts. The idea is that journalists will get a story they can write that day or bank information for future articles. The atmosphere is collegial and professional.
The Sept. 24 briefing will have experts from all aspects of fire avoidance and suppression. Journalists can ask them about the ways the electric utility industry and its contractors are managing fires, from water drops to infrastructure upgrades, to prescribed burning, to vegetation management, to the role of private communications networks in instant notification and immediate power cutoffs.
Also likely to come up at the briefing are controlled outages, and the public relations and legal challenges associated with fires and power cutoffs.
“Every year, fires become an even greater threat to electric utilities and their customers. Electric utilities are obliged to improve their infrastructure and their fire management techniques,” King said.
On the experts panel:
Julia Hamm, Partner, The Ad Hoc Group
Ryan Gerbrandt, COO, Anterix
Bryan Hannegan, President and CEO, Holy Cross Energy
Doug Dorr, Technical Executive, EPRI
Indran “Indy” Ratnathicam, Chief Growth Officer, Technosylva
Brett L’Esperance, CEO, Dauntless Air
Tim Barat, CEO, Gridware
On the journalists panel:
Jennifer Hiller, The Wall Street Journal
Ken Silverstein, Forbes
Matt Chester, Energy Central
Adam Clayton Powell III, PBS
Peter Behr, Politico’s E&E News
The briefing is free and open to the press and the public, but attendees must register. A recording will be posted to YouTube, where it will be available for one week before becoming exclusive to USEA's YouTube channel members.
Register here or on the USEA website (https://usea.org):
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_W6yYO1pIRqS1qVroNWGGvQ#/registration
Llewellyn King
White House Media LLC
+1 202-441-2702
llewellynking1@gmail.com
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