Gresham Smith is pleased to announce that Rick Yeager, Practice Leader in our Energy & Utility Infrastructure practice, will speak at Advancing Data Center Construction Mid‑Atlantic 2026 on Monday, April 27, in Herndon, Virginia.
Rick will join industry peers, Jason Williams, C.M., MBA, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Dominion Energy, and Brian Mounkhall, Renewables Development Manager at PSEG, for the panel “Coordinating with Utilities to Align Grid Expansion with Data Center Development in the Mid‑Atlantic.” Their discussion comes at a pivotal time as regional power demand accelerates and interconnection timelines continue to compress.
During the session, Rick will highlight how earlier utility engagement, clearer long‑range load forecasting, and stronger partnerships can reduce uncertainty and keep mission‑critical data center projects moving forward while supporting a more resilient grid.
Advancing Data Center Construction Mid‑Atlantic 2026 brings together hyperscalers, colocators, designers, and contractors from across the region to examine the trends shaping data center delivery. With a focus on the industry’s most urgent challenges, the program provides the connections and strategies needed to accelerate project timelines across the Mid‑Atlantic data center ecosystem.
See below for more session details:
Panel: Coordinating with Utilities to Align Grid Expansion with Data Center Development in the Mid-Atlantic
Presented by Rick Yeager, alongside industry colleagues | 1:30 p.m. ET
The Mid-Atlantic is now confronting the industry’s most severe misalignment between data center construction speed and utility infrastructure timelines. This panel will unpack what needs to change to accelerate energization and reduce costly uncertainty.
This workshop will gather experts to discuss:
- Understanding utility perspective: What underpins successful partnerships?
- Engaging utilities earlier in the site-selection and design process to secure accurate power timelines before capital and land decisions are locked in
- Improving transparency around utility schedules, capacity forecasts, and grid upgrade schedules to enable realistic project planning
- Addressing when interim bridge strategies should be an option to allow construction and commissioning to continue while waiting for long-lead grid infrastructure
