The inaugural meeting of Bentley’s newly formed Energy User Advisory Board (EUAB) was held on November 2 and included people from around the world and across the energy sector. While the first meeting was held remotely, future meetings will consist of in-person collaboration and gatherings around industry events.

The EUAB was created to provide a forum for interaction between Bentley users and those who develop and enhance these solutions that users leverage daily. In addition to seeking feedback on emerging challenges, the board members will provide feedback on current and future enhancements, workflow enablement, and other topics that allow Bentley to be the infrastructure technology partner they rely on.

In addition to meeting each other for the first time and gaining an understanding of how perspectives are formed among members, the board members were introduced to the board’s structure and purpose which offered us the opportunity to set our initial focus. As the initial membership group largely represents electric utilities and those engineering firms that serve them, our initial focus will center on solutions for electric utilities. Future topics will include oil and gas energy production, telecommunications, and other forms of energy development, production, transmission, and distribution.

Our initial board is comprised of four utility and facility owners and two engineering firms. The utilities include Bentley users, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Pacific Gas and Electric, National Grid, and Essential Energy (Australia). Our engineering firm representatives include Arcadis and Burns & McDonnell. When considering the board composition, the energy industry group felt it was crucial to have multiple facets of the industry. While engineering firms are often directed on which tools they use, they are also an excellent source of information on how those tools are used and where opportunities for improvement exist.

Over the next three months, the EUAB members will solidify key topic areas of focus as well as who will lead the board’s activities as the chair and deputy chair. While the EUAB is a Bentley organization, it is essential that members feel and take ownership of their activities as well as the responsibility to produce outcomes and insights. Our next meeting will occur in January 2022, with a potential in-person meeting at the February 2023 DistribuTech in San Diego, CA.