EPRI, NOAA Sign 3-Yr MU on Energy Sector Physical Climate Risk Assessment

EPRI and NOAA announced that they have entered into a three-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) focused on developing a scientifically based approach to physical climate risk assessment in the energy sector.

As extreme weather increases in frequency and intensity, along with society's dependence on electricity, it's imperative there is a consistent approach to the assessment of physical climate risks, such as understanding the increasing probability and intensity of hazards like extreme precipitation, heatwaves, and hurricanes, driven by potential changes in climate.

Earlier this year, EPRI launched Climate READi™: Power (REsilience and ADaptation initiative), convening global thought leaders and industry stakeholders to address power system climate resilience and adaptation. NOAA is one of the first governmental stakeholders to join the collaborative effort.

Under the MOU, the organizations agreed to share publicly available knowledge, data, industry specific research, and ideas related to physical climate risk assessment, while leveraging respective resources, expertise, and facilities, among other provisions.

"Proactively strengthening grid resilience against potential climate and weather impacts is going to take unprecedented collaboration among a diverse set of stakeholders," said EPRI President and CEO Arshad Mansoor, Ph.D. "NOAA is world-renowned for its weather and climate monitoring and modeling. EPRI and NOAA complement one another's skillsets and together can bring to the table further credibility and science as we collectively tackle this pressing challenge."

"NOAA's trusted climate data and tools help empower individuals, communities, and businesses to understand the risks from climate and extreme weather events and make informed decisions," said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. "This transformational partnership with EPRI allows NOAA to provide climate data to a critical industry and helps the agency understand the energy sector to better anticipate future information delivery needs—laying the foundation for a Climate-Ready Nation."