The TechCon® North America conference continues to serve as a central hub for knowledge sharing, technical advancement, and collaboration across the high-voltage industry. Each year, the conference brings together utility professionals, engineers, asset managers, and solution providers to address the evolving challenges shaping today’s electrical infrastructure.
The event features a variety of educational opportunities, such as technical white papers, panels, training seminars, industry tutorials, keynote speakers, and an exposition. These sessions provided attendees with insights into the latest industry changes, upcoming technologies, and best practices for improving high-voltage maintenance programs.
For this recap, we spoke to Michelle Kutzleb, Vice President of Operations at TJ|H2b, who played a key role in organizing and attending TechCon® North America 2026. Her perspective offers a valuable look into the trends, conversations, and priorities that defined this year’s event.
Overview of TechCon® 2026
This year, the TechCon® conference took place in Puerto Rico, which marks the first time the conference has been outside of mainland North America. Michelle mentioned this year was “intimate, highly collaborative, and packed with real substance.”
With a smaller setting, the atmosphere allowed for “genuine conversations between utility leaders, engineers, vendors, and experts.” The overall energy of the conference was both optimistic and forward-thinking. Additionally, “Post-event feedback included ‘kudos for a great event,’ ‘an honor and a pleasure to present,’ and full of ‘fantastic presentations and discussions.’”
This feedback is valuable for connecting with other organizations and understanding how to improve the conference for years to come. There is also a level of reassurance in talking with our peers who are navigating similar operational and strategic challenges.
Standout Presentation: Workforce Development & Safety
While TechCon® consistently features outstanding presentations (Michelle notes: “it’s hard to choose just one!”), One topic that stood out across the conference was workforce development—particularly its direct impact on safety and long-term infrastructure reliability.
A highly impactful session, “Workforce Development, Safety, and the Next Generation of Electrical Infrastructure,” presented by Josh Nieves of Miller Electric Company, addressed one of the industry’s most pressing challenges.
The session emphasized:
- The direct relationship between leadership development and safety outcomes
- The importance of preparing emerging professionals for leadership roles early in their careers
- The critical role of workforce investment in ensuring both safer projects and stronger infrastructure
This presentation resonated because it expanded the industry’s focus beyond equipment and systems, highlighting the reality that grid reliability is equally dependent on the people managing and maintaining it.
Key Themes Shaping the Utility Industry
Across technical sessions, panels, and informal discussions, several major themes consistently emerged, each reflecting the complexity of today’s evolving energy landscape:
- Grid Modernization, Resilience, and Reliability: Utilities continue to navigate increasing pressure to modernize infrastructure while maintaining system reliability. In Puerto Rico, this was particularly evident, with discussions centered around storm resilience, infrastructure upgrades, and adapting to a rapidly changing grid environment.
- Workforce Transition and Talent Strategy: The aging workforce remains a critical motivator for knowledge sharing in the industry. Conversations focused on strategies to attract, train, and retain the next generation of engineers and technicians while preserving institutional knowledge.
- Transformer and High-Voltage Asset Management: Utilities are facing difficult decisions regarding asset life cycles. With increasing loads and supply chain constraints, the question of life extension versus replacement is becoming more complex and more strategic.
- Digitalization and Integration: There is growing momentum around adopting digital tools (particularly AI), advanced diagnostics, and integrated data platforms. However, many organizations are still working to determine how to effectively implement and scale these technologies within existing operations.
If you are interested in learning more about these topics, you can read through the white papers featured on the TJ|H2b website:
Common Questions Driving High-Voltage Industry Conversations
In addition to formal presentations, recurring questions across attendees highlighted the core challenges utilities are working to address.
Here are a few that stood out:
- How can utilities effectively attract, train, and retain talent in the face of workforce shortages?
- What is the best approach to integrating renewable and inverter-based resources without compromising reliability or accelerating equipment wear?
- How should organizations balance asset life extension versus capital replacement, especially given supply chain limitations and rising demand?
- How can utilities leverage data, AI, and predictive analytics to enable condition-based maintenance while remaining cost-effective?
- In a resilience-focused environment, how can utilities align technical decisions with political, environmental, and economic pressures?
These questions reflect a broader shift within the industry, from reactive maintenance toward predictive, data-driven decision-making.
How TJ|H2b is Staying Ahead of Industry Trends
One topic that will define the next few years in the utility industry is the intelligent, data-driven life extension of high-voltage assets in an era of rising loads, renewable integration, and workforce constraints.
Utilities are operating in an environment where:
- Full asset replacement is often not economically feasible
- Electrical demand is increasing due to electrification and renewable integration
- Workforce limitations are constraining maintenance capabilities
“Utilities can’t simply replace everything due to economics, supply chains, and timelines. Success will depend on moving from time-based to true condition-based maintenance, powered by better diagnostics, digitalization, and talent strategies,” Michelle added.
TJ|H2b is positioned at the center of this transition.
As both the producer of TechCon® and a global provider of insulating fluid analysis and diagnostic services, TJ|H2b continues to invest in:
- Advanced laboratory testing capabilities
- Data analytics and interpretation
- Condition-monitoring program development
- Industry training and education
“Our training sessions and global lab network are built to help utilities extend asset life, reduce outages, and make smarter capital decisions. Events like TechCon® keep us connected to real industry needs.”
Join Us at TechCon® 2027!
TechCon® North America 2026 reinforced the conference’s role as a critical platform for advancing the high-voltage industry. From workforce development to grid modernization and asset strategy, the discussions taking place are shaping how utilities will operate in the years ahead.
As a leader in diagnostic testing and condition-based maintenance, TJ|H2b remains committed to serving as a trusted resource and thought leader for the utility industry.
Looking forward, TJ|H2b believes these events that enable knowledge sharing across experience levels will be essential to building a more resilient, efficient, and innovative grid.
>> Stay updated on TechCon® 2027 by visiting the official TechCon® website.
