Vedeni Energy’s Deep Dive

You’ve probably seen it, or maybe you’re feeling it yourself. It’s that moment in a senior leadership meeting when you look around the room and realize that half the people there aren’t really "there." They’re nodding, checking boxes, but the fire is gone. They aren't leading; they’re just surviving the week.

This isn't your typical burnout. We’ve discussed exhaustion and being overworked for years. What we’re observing now is a loss of agency. Leaders feel like they’ve become passengers in their own organizations, pushed around by endless regulations, board demands, and a constant stream of "urgent" tactical fires. Harvard Business Review recently highlighted this as a significant shift: leaders are beginning to withdraw because they feel they no longer have the power to make real changes.

Across North American power markets, the week of March 14–20, 2026, was characterized more by market design, transmission planning, and interconnection work progressing alongside orderly shoulder-season operations than by urgent operational issues. In the West, CAISO continued publishing daily real-time market-watch reports while advancing EDAM and DAME implementation through parallel operations and stakeholder meetings. Meanwhile, SPP’s western expansion and Markets+ development remained key regional focuses. In ERCOT, the ongoing debate over large-load interconnection continued to shape policy and planning, with updated operational materials highlighting the extent of the active interconnection queue and transmission buildout under review. In Alberta, the provincial market transition gained momentum as government-backed REM ISO rules moved closer to implementation, and the AESO advanced work on financial transmission rights, data-center interconnection requirements, and transmission-planning reform. 

I was reviewing a press release from American Electric Power this morning, and one name caught my attention. They had just appointed Aaron Walker to lead a group called the Nuclear Development Organization. If you’ve been in this industry for more than a few years, you know that the words "nuclear" and "development" haven't appeared together in the same sentence for quite some time. For decades, the goal of a utility CEO was to keep existing plants running while avoiding building new ones. The memories of cost overruns and construction nightmares from the past remain too vivid to ignore.

You’ve probably spent the last year watching your inbox fill up with "must-have" tools that promise to do your job in half the time. Your company has likely invested a small fortune in licenses, pilots, and training sessions. But if you’re honest, you haven’t seen the payoff yet. Your team is still working late, projects are still lagging, and the promised efficiency feels like a mirage.

The week ending March 13, 2026, was marked by widespread operational stability across North American wholesale power markets as systems transitioned into the spring shoulder season. Real-time energy prices stayed relatively low and stable across most footprints, reflecting moderate seasonal demand and healthy reserve margins. This calm in operations provided a backdrop for a surge in long-term strategic and regulatory activity, most notably the unveiling of a landmark interregional transmission portfolio by the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). The proposed multi-billion dollar project suite targeting the markets' shared seams signals a significant step forward in addressing the cross-border constraints that have historically limited renewable energy integration and regional reliability.

I was reading the news this morning and saw a sign of exactly where our industry is heading. American Electric Power just announced Adrian Rodriguez as the new president and COO of AEP Texas. If you don't know Adrian, he isn't your typical operations guy who spent thirty years designing substations or managing line crews. He’s a regulatory lawyer by training. He’s spent his career navigating the halls of commissions and the fine print of state statutes. 

For a hundred years, the path to the corner office in a utility was paved with concrete and copper. You started as an engineer, learned how the machines worked, and spent your life solving the physical problems of the grid. But if you look at the appointments making headlines in 2026, that path is changing. The lawyer is replacing the engineer in the C-suite, and it’s not because the engineering has gotten easier. It’s because the engineering is no longer the hardest part of the job.

You have the strategy. You have the slides. You even have the budget. But by the time your team starts moving, the world has already shifted. It’s that feeling of running as hard as you can, only to realize you’re on a treadmill. 

This isn't just about staying busy. It's about a fundamental shift in how we convert intent into action. Deloitte recently released its 2026 Human Capital Trends, and the headline is a wake-up call: nearly 70 percent of business leaders say their main competitive advantage for the next three years won't come from their size or their products, but from their ability to be quick and adaptable.

North American wholesale electricity markets during the week ending March 6, 2026, focused on structural integration and infrastructure resilience. In the Eastern Interconnection, PJM took decisive regulatory action by filing proposals for an expedited interconnection track and extending its capacity price collar to address the unprecedented demand from data centers. Meanwhile, MISO and ERCOT increased their attention to resource accreditation and grid stability as unseasonable heat led to record loads in Texas, while MISO announced its final parameters for the 2026/27 planning year to support the growing industrial load.

So, I was catching up with a friend from the transmission team the other day, and he told me something that sums up where our industry is right now. He has two different piles on his desk. One is a stack of interconnection requests from renewable developers that he hasn’t touched in weeks because the grid is full. The other is a folder from a massive data center developer who wants to bypass the grid and connect directly to a nuclear power plant.

This is what folks are calling "co-location," and it's the hottest debate in the industry this week. If you haven't been following the FERC dockets, here's the gist: big tech companies are tired of waiting. They need huge amounts of power for AI, and they need it immediately. They've realized that if they build their data center next to a large power plant and connect behind the meter, they won't have to wait for new transmission lines.

For the past five years, we've been fixated on employee engagement. We've spent billions on survey tools, bean bags, and "culture committees" to ensure everyone is happy. But now, as we sit here in March 2026, the trend has shifted. The latest data from Lattice reveals that, for the first time, performance has surpassed engagement as the top priority for leadership teams.

It's a major shift. We’re moving from "Are you happy?" to "Are you delivering?" and while that might sound a bit cold, it’s actually a response to a very real crisis. We’ve had a lot of "engaged" people who aren’t actually getting things done, and that’s causing a massive exodus of leaders who are tired of carrying the weight. If you’re a manager, you’re likely feeling the pressure. You want to keep your team happy, but your boss is suddenly asking for hard numbers and efficiency. This shift isn't about being mean; it's about survival. Let's look at what's really happening and how you can lead through it without losing your team or your mind.