Agenda

All events will be held in the GSA Auditorium located at 1800 F St NW, Washington, DC 20006

Day 1: Tuesday, Feb. 10, 1 – 5 p.m. EST

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Day 2: Wednesday, Feb. 11, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. EST

Session Abstracts

The Future of Grid Reliability with Resilient Timing and Synchronization

Modern grid operations rely heavily on GPS and NTP for timing and synchronization, yet both face growing vulnerabilities—from jamming and spoofing to network latency and cyber compromise. As reliance on synchronized measurements, automated controls, and grid-edge devices accelerates, disruptions in these timing sources create escalating operational risks. This panel will explore the future advances and resiliency needs required to reduce dependence on vulnerable timing sources, including emerging alternative timing architectures, next-generation holdover technologies, enhanced monitoring, and diversified time distribution pathways. Experts from utilities, national labs, and government will discuss the strategic steps needed to build a more resilient, trustworthy timing foundation for tomorrow’s grid.

Today’s Needs, Tomorrow’s Grid: Synchronization Resilience for Energy Utilities

This interactive session engages participants directly in exploring the timing and synchronization challenges facing energy utilities today and the resilience requirements needed in the face of mounting threats. The discussion will foster dialogue between national experts and utility leaders to examine evolving operational demands, emerging technologies, and persistent gaps in delivering secure, accurate, and reliable wide area synchronization across diverse grid operational environments. Audience members will actively contribute perspectives on modernization priorities, deployment barriers, and opportunities for collaboration across utilities, industry, and government. The session aims to surface real-world needs and actionable ideas to guide future research, technology development, and investment in resilient grid synchronization.

Grid Communications Security for the Age of OT

The modernization of operational technology (OT) is rapidly transforming grid communications—and creating new security challenges. As utilities deploy more sensors, automated controls, and intelligent field devices, the resilience of communications networks becomes essential to safe, reliable operations. This session will examine emerging risks in modern OT communications architectures, including protocol vulnerabilities, wireless spectrum issues, and the challenges of securing legacy and advanced systems simultaneously. Speakers will highlight future-focused strategies such as zero-trust approaches, segmentation, enhanced monitoring, and emerging security architectures. Participants will learn what utilities, government, and industry must prioritize to secure communications at the core of tomorrow’s operational grid.

Today’s Needs, Tomorrow’s Grid: Communications Resilience for Energy Utilities

This interactive session engages participants directly in exploring the communications challenges facing energy utilities today and the resilience requirements that will shape tomorrow’s grid. The discussion will foster a dialog between national laboratory experts and utility communications leaders to examine evolving operational demands, emerging technologies, and persistent gaps in secure, reliable communications infrastructure. Audience members will actively contribute perspectives on modernization priorities, barriers to deployment, and opportunities for collaboration across utilities, industry, and government. The session aims to surface real-world needs and actionable ideas to guide future research, technology development, and investment in resilient grid communications.