October 28, 2025

Hyatt Regency Denver

Official Event of

2025 Agenda

Crafted by the POWER editorial team and the DPX Advisory Board, the inaugural DPX program will feature a groundbreaking lifecycle framework to address the collision between data center growth and grid modernization. Structured around three critical phases—Site Selection, Development, and Operations—the agenda integrates cross-sector dialogue, regulatory alignment, and technical innovation.

Check back for updates – additional details and speakers will be added as they are finalized.

Tuesday, October 28

Opening Keynote: Fireside Dialogue

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

The $2T Challenge: How Power and Data Center Leaders Align on Growth and Reliability
This foundational dialogue between senior utility and hyperscaler leaders sets the stage for DPX 2025 by spotlighting the unprecedented surge in AI-driven data center power demand and the critical question of who pays for the massive infrastructure investments required. Explore how forecasting gaps, market structure differences, and cost allocation challenges threaten both reliability and ratepayer protection. Attendees will gain insight into federal policy directions and the shared responsibilities that will shape the future of digital and power infrastructure while addressing the fundamental question of equitable cost distribution.

Lifecycle Phase 1: Site Selection

9:00 AM – 9:45 AM

Grid Modernization Under Pressure – Siting, Supply Chains, and Transmission Gaps
Chair: Evan Pierce (EdgeConneX)
As data center demand surges, developers face mounting challenges securing sites with adequate, timely power. This session explores the widening gap between siting ambitions and grid realities, highlighting how transformer shortages, transmission delays, and regional constraints are reshaping location strategies. Panelists will examine why regulated utilities often deliver faster, more predictable capacity than merchant markets, and how water, permitting, and community opposition now factor into every decision. Learn how new utility–developer coordination models are helping both sectors navigate today’s high-stakes siting environment.

9:45 AM – 10:30 AM

Fixing the Front Door: Reforming Interconnection Queues for Speed and Clarity
Chair: Jose Daniel Lara (NREL)
As interconnection delays stretch to years, data center developers and utilities are turning to behind-the-meter (BTM) solutions and co-location arrangements that raise fundamental questions about cost allocation, grid reliability, and market fairness. This session unpacks recent FERC actions on co-location, state regulatory responses, and the evolving frontier of BTM strategies. With only 7% of tracked data center projects currently having co-located generation despite its potential to solve grid constraints, panelists will explore barriers to wider adoption and examine how these arrangements affect ratepayer costs and grid stability.

10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Networking Break & Solutions Showcase

Lifecycle Phase 2: Development

11:00 AM – 11:45 AM

Streamlining Permitting & Regulatory Alignment
Chair: Maria Faconti (K&L Gates)
Permitting delays and regulatory fragmentation slow every project while community opposition increasingly derails developments. This session explores how federal, state, and local agencies are working to harmonize permitting processes while addressing the growing challenge of community acceptance. With $64 billion in U.S. data center projects blocked or delayed by local opposition, panelists will discuss strategies for proactive stakeholder engagement, water usage compliance, and navigating the complex web of environmental requirements that now define project viability.

11:45 AM – 12:30 PM

Advancing On-Site Power & Dispatchable Generation
Chair: Megan Reusser (Burns & McDonnell)
As grid constraints tighten, on-site and dispatchable generation become critical for data center reliability and sustainability. With the SMR pipeline surging 42% quarter-over-quarter and data centers now representing 39% of the global nuclear pipeline, this session reviews cutting-edge solutions including SMRs, gas-battery hybrids, microgrids, and geothermal systems. Learn how these technologies integrate with the grid, address community concerns about safety and environmental impact, and unlock new commercial models that fairly allocate costs and benefits.

12:30 PM – 1:00 PM

Financing the Future: Monetizing Resilience and Managing Policy Risk
Chair: Sean Lev (HWG Law)
Navigating tax policy shifts, interconnection incentives, and market volatility is critical for project viability, especially when addressing the unique risks of nuclear-data center partnerships and community opposition. This session presents innovative financing models, including nuclear partnership structures and resilience monetization, tailored to managing regulatory uncertainty, community risk, and the massive capital requirements of SMR deployments with 30-month federal acceleration timelines.

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM | Networking Lunch & Solutions Showcase

Open networking alongside a curated set of infrastructure solution providers. Vendors will have an opportunity to showcase tools for forecasting, dispatchable capacity, permitting workflow automation, and on-site generation or storage solutions.

Lifecycle Phase 3: Operations

2:00 PM – 2:45 PM

AI-Driven Grid Modernization & Predictive Forecasting
Chair: Jay Shah (Amazon)
AI is revolutionizing load forecasting and grid operations while creating new challenges for managing unprecedented demand variability. This session showcases how power companies and grid operators leverage AI tools to better accommodate data center growth in regulated and deregulated markets, while exploring demand management strategies that account for community concerns and water usage optimization. Learn how cross-sector data sharing can improve forecasting accuracy while protecting competitive information.

2:45 PM – 3:30 PM

Data Center Growth: Lifecycle Solutions to Bridge Digital Infrastructure Demand and Grid Modernization
Chair: Jennifer Cahill (Black and Veatch)
As the demand for data centers accelerates alongside the urgent need for grid modernization, the panel convenes industry leaders, utility experts, and technology innovators to present a holistic lifecycle framework that bridges these critical domains. Anchored in three phases—Site Selection, Development, and Operations—the discussion will illuminate how regulatory alignment, technical ingenuity, and cross-sector collaboration can resolve the ongoing collision between rapid data center expansion and evolving energy infrastructure. Key topics include the latest in interconnect challenges, chip advancements, and the rise of modular solutions; the panel examines why speed, reliability, and scale are imperative in today’s environment, and unpacks the shifting landscape of data center siting. Utility decision-makers will gain insights into the nuanced requirements of data centers, fostering dialogue that is essential for mutual advancement. Join the panel for an engaging exploration of the strategies, technologies, and partnerships shaping the future of digital infrastructure.

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Networking Break & Solutions Showcase

Forward Planning—Markets, Trust, and Risk Allocation

4:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Integrating State Regulatory Innovation: Forward Planning for Data Center Load Growth
Chair: Lisa Youngers (POWER)
High-growth states are pioneering regulatory models that balance rapid data center expansion with ratepayer protection and community concerns. This session examines how public utility commissions and legislatures are integrating lessons from regulated market advantages into frameworks that address cost allocation, water usage requirements, and community benefit sharing. Panelists will explore how regulatory innovations in Texas, Virginia, and Georgia are creating templates for sustainable growth that protects both ratepayers and community interests.

4:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Planning in Crisis Mode: What If the Power Doesn’t Show Up?
Chair: Arjun Ramadevanahalli (Morgan Lewis)
As surging load demand collides with sluggish infrastructure timelines and growing community opposition, the risk of unserved load for contracted hyperscale projects is no longer hypothetical. This flash panel drops attendees into a high-stakes scenario where a 200-MW AI data center campus faces delays due to both infrastructure constraints and unexpected community legal challenges. With contracts, costs, community relations, and credibility on the line, panelists will dissect the legal, financial, operational, and social license implications in real time.

5:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Closing Keynote: Federal Action & Industry Synthesis: Transmission, Permitting, and Policy Outlook
Gain a forward-looking perspective from senior DOE or FERC officials on federal priorities shaping transmission buildout, nuclear acceleration, and community engagement requirements. This session outlines policy trajectories affecting regulated vs. deregulated market dynamics, cost allocation frameworks, and federal approaches to balancing rapid infrastructure deployment with environmental justice and community protection concerns.