In this episode of Always On: Reliability and Focus, CRA’s Andy Dressel speaks with Scott Aronson, former senior vice president at the Edison Electric Institute, about how the electric power sector is navigating a rapidly evolving risk landscape.

After decades of relatively flat demand, the grid is entering a new growth era driven by data centers, electrification, and advanced manufacturing, while also facing increased cyber threats, physical security risks, and climate-related disruptions.

Scott and Andy explore how the industry’s longstanding focus on resilience through redundancy, coordination, and planning is enabling utilities to respond effectively to these challenges, even as the pace of change accelerates.

They also discuss the role of emerging technologies such as AI, which can both strengthen defenses and introduce new risks, and highlight the growing importance of physical security, including the evolving threat posed by low-cost, widely accessible tools like drones.

By the end of the episode, listeners will understand why resilience, not just prevention, is central to the future of the grid, and why building it into new infrastructure today is critical to ensuring reliable, secure power in an increasingly complex operating environment.