Contact: Communications@naruc.org

WASHINGTON (June 15, 2022) — The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Center for Partnerships & Innovation today announced the release of Spanish-language training videos on topics including an introduction to regulation, distribution systems and planning, bulk power system issues, innovations in electricity system modeling, smart grid and electric vehicle interoperability and more. The videos are intended to serve as a resource for public utility commissions in their efforts to increase stakeholder access and education for non-English speaking audiences on relevant regulatory issues.

“These videos are invaluable for staff training and outreach in our community,’ said Commissioner Lilian Mateo-Santos of the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau. “This is particularly timely as we undergo grid modernization efforts in Puerto Rico and want to ensure that our stakeholders are well-informed.”

This effort was initiated in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Regulatory Research Institute in 2021 to support the Puerto Rico Energy Bureau and provides more than five dozen interpreted videos. Eight videos from NRRI’s Regulatory Training Initiative provide a comprehensive introduction to the principles and practice of regulation, which includes concepts of economics, engineering, finance and law. Thirty-two videos from the Distribution Systems and Planning Series, developed in partnership with DOE’s Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium through Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, offer a suite of trainings on electric distribution systems, utility system planning and approaches to engagement in integrated distribution planning. The Smart Grid Learning Modules were developed with support from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and consists of 22 short videos covering the economics, operational considerations and role of regulators for interoperability. Lastly, the Innovations in Electricity Modeling Training Series offers seven videos developed through the National Council on Electricity Policy and the National Laboratories on modeling approaches for the future grid.

“NARUC routinely partners with DOE and NIST to provide training to members about innovations in the electricity sector. With this new set of Spanish-language resources, we are expanding our members’ ability to train their own diverse staff and explain these concepts to broader audiences,” said CPI Director Danielle Sass Byrnett. “This complements our ongoing work to support diversity and advance procedural equity in commission decision-making.”

NARUC thanks the U.S. Department of Energy for its support in the development of these resources. The Spanish Learning Modules are available on the CPI website at https://www.naruc.org/cpi-1/electricity-system-transition/distribution-systems-and-planning/learning-modules-in-spanish/.

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About NARUC

NARUC is a non-profit organization founded in 1889 whose members include the governmental agencies that are engaged in the regulation of utilities and carriers in the fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. NARUC’s member agencies regulate telecommunications, energy, and water utilities. NARUC represents the interests of state public utility commissions before the three branches of the federal government.