Reposted from the Price College of Engineering.

The University of Utah’s NSF WIRED Global Center and Utah Smart Energy Labs (U-Smart) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) to strengthen collaboration on research, innovation, and information sharing aimed at enhancing the reliability and resilience of the Western North American power grid.

The agreement establishes a framework for ongoing cooperation between WECC and the University of Utah-led NSF WIRED Global Center and Utah Smart Energy Laboratory (U-Smart) to address emerging challenges facing the Western Interconnection, including extreme weather events, evolving cyber and physical threats, rapid electrification, and the growth of large energy-intensive loads, such as data centers. Under the MOU, the organizations will collaborate on advanced grid reliability assessment tools, resilience-focused research, workforce development initiatives and industry engagement activities.

In addition to their new partnership, WECC and the University of Utah are co-hosting the 2026 International Conference on Probabilistic Methods Applied to Power Systems (PMAPS 2026) at the U’s S.J. Quinney College of Law in Salt Lake City, Sept. 21 to 24. The conference will bring together leading researchers, utility executives, system operators, policymakers and technology innovators from around the world to discuss emerging approaches for power system reliability, resilience, risk assessment, and grid modernization.

WECC is responsible for reliability-related activities across the Western Interconnection, which spans all or portions of 14 Western states, two Canadian provinces, and Northern Baja California, Mexico. The NSF WIRED Global Center brings together universities, utilities, industry partners, and government stakeholders to develop innovative solutions that strengthen grid resilience and reliability across North America and beyond.

“By combining WECC’s system-wide reliability expertise with the research and workforce development capabilities and innovation ecosystem of WIRED and U-Smart, we can accelerate the development of tools and solutions that help utilities and grid operators navigate an increasingly complex energy landscape,” said Branden Sudduth, Vice President of Reliability Planning and Performance Analysis at WECC.

The MOU also encourages collaboration in education and workforce development, creating opportunities for engineering students to engage with reliability professionals and gain firsthand experience addressing real-world power system challenges. The organizations will work together to identify opportunities that strengthen the pipeline of future grid engineers and industry leaders.

“Building a reliable, resilient and secure power grid that delivers affordable energy to the communities requires unprecedented collaboration across industry, academia and public stakeholders,” said Masood Parvania, director of the NSF WIRED Global Center and U-Smart, and Roger P. Webb Endowed Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Utah. “This partnership with WECC creates a unique opportunity to bridge cutting-edge research with operational practice, ensuring that new analytical tools, resilience strategies and workforce development efforts deliver tangible value to utilities and communities throughout the Western Interconnection. Together, we are laying the foundation for a more resilient and adaptable energy future.”

The collaboration will include regular engagement between technical experts from both organizations to explore emerging reliability risks, evaluate innovative solutions, and support the advancement of industry best practices. Through joint initiatives and knowledge sharing, WECC and WIRED aim to improve situational awareness and strengthen preparedness for the evolving challenges facing the electric grid.

• Evan Lerner Director of communications, John and Marcia Price College of Engineering
  ‭(908) 370-7621‬ evan.lerner@utah.edu