I've always enjoyed featuring substation projects because no two are ever alike. In our May issue, we put Denton Municipal Electric's beautiful new substation on our cover because of the way it blended into the surrounding community through thoughtful architectural design. This month, we're featuring a substation for an entirely different reason.

The engineering challenge beneath Ameren Illinois' Goalby Substation is every bit as fascinating as Denton's architecture. Built over a network of abandoned coal mines in Belleville, Illinois, the project required engineers to rethink a traditional substation design and use a compact GIS solution to reduce the amount of costly underground stabilization.

It's another reminder that some of the most interesting stories in our industry aren't always the ones you notice from the road. Quite often, the most innovative work is hidden underground, where careful planning and creative engineering make reliable power possible.

Amy Fischbach takes us inside the planning, design and construction of a project that turned one of the region's biggest obstacles into an opportunity to improve reliability for customers.

T&D World Live

We are also previewing our annual event in this issue. One thing I appreciate about T&D World Live is that the entire show feels like one continuous networking event because of its size, its format and its exclusive focus on transmission and distribution. Nothing really compares to it, in my opinion. Every event in our industry serves a purpose, but this one is intentionally designed to reflect T&D World's editorial mission: for utilities, by utilities.

One of my favorite parts each year isn't necessarily what's happening on stage — it is what happens between sessions. You'll see utility professionals continuing discussions in the hallways, comparing notes over coffee, or introducing someone they've just met to another colleague facing the same challenge. Those conversations often spark future stories in the magazine because they're grounded in real-world experiences.

As our industry tackles (I am sure you know what I am going to say next): data center growth, AI, grid modernization and workforce challenges, there has never been a greater need for utilities to learn directly from one another. That's exactly what T&D World Live is designed to do. I hope you'll join us in Orlando this September, and if you do, please stop by and say hello. I always enjoy meeting our readers in person.

Interconnected

One of the cool things about being an editor in the power industry is seeing patterns emerge before they become obvious. Over the past couple of years (and even previously), we've published stories on AI, grid modernization, wildfire mitigation, data centers, distributed energy resources and electrification. At first glance, they seem like separate topics. But really, they all part of the same story: utilities are having to make bigger, more interconnected decisions than ever before.

A Different Take

If you've been following the headlines about data centers, you've probably noticed that the conversation often falls into one of two camps. Either they're portrayed as an economic engine that utilities should embrace, or they're blamed for rising electric bills and mounting pressure on the grid (particularly in the consumer media). Reality, as it usually does, lives somewhere in between.

That's why I found this research from our friends at Oak Ridge National Laboratory so interesting. Instead of debating whether data centers are "good" or "bad," the researchers ask a more practical question: How can utilities, regulators and policymakers plan for this unprecedented load growth while balancing affordability, reliability and resilience? What does affordability really mean, or how do you analyze it?

Their work explores analytical tools and planning frameworks that evaluate not only infrastructure needs, but also customer costs, economic development and long-term system impacts. I appreciate that the authors offer a framework for thinking through the tradeoffs utilities and regulators will increasingly face as electricity demand continues to grow.

One of the reasons I still enjoy putting together every issue of T&D World is that I'm constantly learning alongside our readers. Every project, every interview and every research paper offers a new way to think about the challenges facing our industry. I hope this issue does the same for you, and as always, thank you for reading.