{"id":363318,"date":"2025-08-13T13:27:15","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T13:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bowman.com\/?post_type=news&#038;p=363318"},"modified":"2025-08-13T13:27:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T13:27:15","slug":"bowman-perspectives-navigating-a-once-in-a-generation-utility-demand-surge-a-qa-with-michael-schad","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/bowman.com\/news\/bowman-perspectives-navigating-a-once-in-a-generation-utility-demand-surge-a-qa-with-michael-schad","title":{"rendered":"Bowman Perspectives: Navigating a Once-in-a-Generation Utility Demand Surge \u2013 A Q&amp;A with Michael Schad"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>U.S. energy demand is entering a period of explosive growth. In just five years, utilities are expected to match the electricity demand growth of the last 25. That kind of acceleration hasn\u2019t happened in a generation, and it\u2019s creating new risks and opportunities across the grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Michael Schad, Bowman\u2019s director of <a href=\"https:\/\/bowman.com\/markets\/power-energy\">utilities<\/a>, sees this once-in-a-generation demand as both a challenge and an opportunity. In this Q&amp;A, he walks through what utilities should do now to meet demand and how Bowman is positioned to help them stay ahead of the curve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Q: Do you think utilities are ready for this kind of demand?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A: No, and to be fair, it\u2019s tough to be. Utilities are still trying to figure out how to respond. The infrastructure timelines and regulatory cycles are long, and many haven\u2019t fully positioned themselves yet. That delay could be costly. Every year of inaction puts us further behind, and this isn\u2019t the kind of gap you can close quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Q: What can utilities do now to avoid falling behind?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A: <\/strong>Start making moves now. If you wait a year or two, you\u2019re going to be further behind, and the end user can\u2019t afford that. This is a major challenge, and you won\u2019t get another window to plan and act for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You need to be thinking in layers: what can we do now, what can we do in three years and what needs to be in motion for five to ten years out. Waiting even one year puts you further behind and end users can\u2019t afford the consequences. Lead times for equipment are already stacked against us. Co-gen systems can take over three years to procure; transformers, up to twenty months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Q: How does Bowman fit into this picture?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A: <\/strong>We\u2019re already helping utilities tackle transmission, substation and distribution challenges. But more importantly, we\u2019re a strategic partner in uncertainty. We know the pressure utilities are under, and we bring integrated services to help them act with clarity. Utilities can\u2019t afford to navigate this shift alone. Bowman brings the <a href=\"https:\/\/bowman.com\/services\/civil-site-engineering\">engineering<\/a> depth to help clients act\u2014not react\u2014in the face of rising demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Q: Is there anything else on the horizon that utilities need to prepare for?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A: Yes! It\u2019s not just about generation. The recent <a href=\"https:\/\/bowman.com\/news\/project-planning-gets-a-reality-check-after-obbb\">One Big Beautiful Bill Act<\/a> (HR1) designated $30 billion for grid modernization. That means undergrounding, wildfire mitigation and storm hardening, which are all critical to resilience. These investments are a chance to shore up on aging infrastructure, and that work can\u2019t wait either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Michael Schad<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Michael is director of utilities at Bowman, where he leads the strategic direction, operation and growth of the firm\u2019s utility services division. He oversees the multidisciplinary team delivering engineering and project management across electric transmission, substation and distribution, while driving client success and regulatory compliance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":363343,"template":"","news_tags":[282,199],"class_list":["post-363318","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news_tags-power-utilities","news_tags-qa"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Navigating a Once-in-a-Generation Utility Demand Surge<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Michael Schad, Bowman\u2019s director of utilities, walks through what utilities should do to meet demand and how Bowman is positioned to help.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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