TULSA, Okla., Jan. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Leaders from North American electric utilities will meet Jan. 28 in San Diego to discuss how far utilities should go to prepare for disruptive events such as Hurricane Sandy and winter weather.

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The session, "Preparing for Disruptive Events: How Far Should You Go?" is part of the fourth annual Electric Light & Power Executive Conference. This year the conference is Jan. 27 and 28 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront.

"This session couldn't be more relevant post-Sandy and in the dead of winter," said Teresa Hansen, conference chairwoman and editor in chief of Electric Light & Power magazine. "When customers lose power—no matter the reason—patience is tested and utilities are left scrambling to restore power safely and quickly. To combat these outages, utilities could harden their grids, but to what extent, and how much are customers willing to pay for better reliability?"

Experts weighing in on the discussion will include moderator Ivo Hug, marketing manager of power delivery and utilization at the Electric Power Research Institute; David Geier, vice president of electric operations at San Diego Gas & Electric; Paul Centolella, vice president of Analysis Group; and Elin Swanson Katz, consumer counsel at the Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel.

Other sessions will address: smart grid spending; the state of the economy; how to create a compelling image and message; and utility flexibility and value. Keynote speakers are best-selling author Michael Reagan and former professional baseball player Jim Abbott. More information is available at http://elpconference.com.

About PennWell:

The Electric Light & Power Executive Conference and DistribuTECH Conference & Exhibition are owned and produced by PennWell Corp. based in Tulsa, Okla. PennWell Corp. is a diversified business-to-business media and information company that provides quality content and integrated marketing solutions for the following industries: electric power, oil and gas, water, electronics, semiconductor, contamination control, optoelectronics, fiber optics, enterprise storage, fire, emergency services and dental. Founded in 1910, PennWell publishes 75 print and online magazines and newsletters, conducts 60 conferences and exhibitions on six continents, and has an extensive offering of books, maps, websites, research and database services. The company has major offices in Nashua, N.H.; Houston; London; Fairlawn, N.J.; Moscow; and Hong Kong. For more information, visit http://pennwell.com. 

If you'd like more information about the Electric Light & Power Executive Conference (http://elpconference.com) or to schedule an interview with Editor in Chief Teresa Hansen, please call Senior Editor Kristen Wright at 918-640-6781 or email Kristen at kristenw@pennwell.com.

Contact: Kristen Wright
Phone: 918.640.6781
E-mail: kristenw@pennwell.com

SOURCE PennWell Corp.