Doug Sterbenz, a speaker at the marcus evans Power Plant Management & Generation Summit Fall 2013, discusses a unique approach to getting all stakeholders involved on new projects. Interview with: Doug Sterbenz, Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Westar Energy

1. Interview with: Doug Sterbenz,
Executive Vice President & Chief
Operating Officer, Westar Energy
“Most utilities plan for their future
resource needs in a vacuum, without
enough interaction at the right time with
the real world,” according to Doug
Sterbenz, Executive Vice President &
Chief Operating Officer, Westar Energy.
“A better approach is to involve others
early in the process. This leads to a
better outcomes,” he details.
A speaker at the marcus evans Power
Plant Management & Generation
Summit Fall 2013, in Atlanta, Georgia,
October 28-30, Sterbenz uncovers
Westar Energy’s planning process and
discusses how to engage stakeholders.
How can power generation
executives ensure public support
for projects?
Power generation executives need to
“pull” solutions from the world rather
than “push” their solutions on the world.
Most utilities do resource planning in a
vacuum, without interacting with the
real world. Many of us go through the
same process that we have for 100
years. It is a very fact-based approach,
assuring that we get married to a
solution, then trying to sell it to the
world.
What is different about your
approach?
We have a more interactive process,
involving stakeholders who own
property or have some interest in the
project. Their input is needed early on
for a better conclusion in the end - a
solution that is much smoother, less
expensive, faster and more pleasing to
everybody involved, while still getting
the job done and serving our customers.
For example, in siting wind farms, we
let the many stakeholders determine
the best, most suitable locations and we
pull that solution from them instead of
pushing our solution on them.
Of course we do need certain attributes
to be successful, but we have turned
the conventional process upside down.
We now have six wind farms in Kansas
and have managed to avoid sensitive
areas, bird habitats, tall grass prairies
and other areas that ended up in long
legal battles for other organizations.
We have streamlined our process and
actually been very successful bringing
our wind farms to the market.
Could this heavy focus on getting
public consent impact the bottom
line negatively?
We have found that doing it the
conventional way impacts our bottom
line negatively. Our method is cheaper
and leads to a better solution for all in
the end, therefore helping our bottom
line.
What helps in leading a power
business to success?
It is about being present. Leaders must
be present in their jobs physically,
emotionally and mentally. They cannot
sit in a corner office all day long. They
have to be out with their people and
know what they are capable of. They
need to know the community they are
serving. Often they let their busy work
get in the way of their important work.
Many people go through their lives not
engaged with the work.
How could they connect in that
way?
We have an important job to do, but we
often take it for granted. We forget how
critical electricity is to economic and
physical health. Electric utility business
leaders need to get people connected to
the business. Their job is not just to fix
a pump in the plant but to provide
power so that families can have dinner
together.
The key is to make sure all employees
have a straight line of sight from their
job to the overall mission of the
company to provide low cost reliable
electricity to customers.
We have
found that
doing it the
conventional
way impacts
our bottom
line
negatively
Ensuring Success in the Power Business

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About the Power Plant Management & Generation Summit
Fall 2013
This unique forum will take place at The Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia,
October 28-30, 2013. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or trade
show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought leaders
and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The
Summit includes presentations on resource planning, power plant management,
NERC compliance, environmental regulations and aging workforce challenges.
www.ppmgsummit.com
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