Challenge

In 2023, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) initiated a project to help state utility regulators understand and address grid resilience issues in their jurisdictions. Regulators needed a structured way of approaching resilience planning that accounted for differences in regional threats and electricity markets. NARUC sought expert consulting support to both understand regulators’ needs and interests and to develop the resulting framework to suit a wide range of regulatory contexts and resilience applications.

Approach

On a small team, EPDI founder Ted Ko provided staff from state utilities commissions with foundational concepts and terminology as well as expert facilitation that helped the group translate high-level concerns and priorities into a tangible structure for action. The resulting Resilience Framework, made up of six key components – Goals and Objectives, Use Cases, Definitions, Process Leadership and Participation, Design Questions, and Implementation – allows regulators to better organize their own work and coordinate with other agencies in addition to justifying specific funding decisions. The ideas and approach Ted employed in this project are core elements of the EPDI Method.

Results to Date:

• NARUC Resilience Framework published early 2025
• Ongoing trainings for regulators and staff, including at NARUC’s 2025 Summer Policy Summit