The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) have established a collaborative partnership focused on strengthening the reliability of the North American bulk power system. The initiative aims to leverage combined expertise to address evolving challenges in grid management while maintaining affordable and dependable electricity supply for more than 400 million residents across the continent.
The partnership will concentrate initially on integrating NERC’s high-resolution data, including refined asset location information, with NLR’s grid-modeling systems. This integration is intended to enable researchers to develop more detailed representations of the power system and conduct more advanced analysis of potential reliability concerns. Officials from both organizations indicated that this collaboration could produce innovative methodologies applicable to industry-wide power system planning and reliability assessment practices.
NLR leadership described the partnership as an opportunity to translate decades of federal energy research investment into practical resources that support grid stability. NERC representatives emphasized that combining the organization’s reliability expertise with NLR’s analytical capabilities would enhance both organizations’ technical abilities and facilitate coordinated research efforts. The collaboration also aims to identify and develop novel strategies for managing future grid reliability challenges.
The announcement builds on an existing professional relationship between the two organizations spanning multiple years. A November 2025 visit brought together researchers from both institutions to discuss potential avenues for expanded technical cooperation, ultimately leading to the formal partnership. Grid researchers from NLR indicated enthusiasm about the two-way knowledge exchange, noting particular interest in advancing probabilistic assessment methodologies and resource adequacy approaches in collaboration with a leading grid reliability authority.
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