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IAM Webinar - From Climate Risk to Wildfire Resilience: Scenario Planning for the Grid of Tomorrow – Liberty Utilities Case study

Address:
Virtual - Online
UK

Date & Time:
26 February 2026
15:00 - 16:00 GMT

Category
Webinar

Climate risks are becoming an increasingly critical factor in asset management and long term planning. The growing frequency and severity of climate events not only alter how assets perform but also redefine which investment decisions have the greatest impact in reducing risk.

For power utilities, managing wildfire risk presents a unique and complex challenge. Wildfire is both a climate risk – with warmer temperatures and drier conditions prolonging wildfire seasons in at-risk areas – and an infrastructure issue, where downed poles or faulty conductors can become potential sources of ignition. Because wildfire sits at the intersection of climate risk and asset management, it demands an integrated approach that connects asset data, environmental modelling, and investment planning.

In this webinar, Sadaf Gharaati, the architect of DIREXYON’s Wildfire Solution, and Peter Stoltman, Senior Manager of Wildfire Prevention at Liberty Utilities, will demonstrate how a structured, data-driven approach can help utilities anticipate wildfire and plan strategically. By combining asset data, environmental factors, and rapid “what-if” scenario analysis, utilities can not only identify vulnerabilities but also quantify how specific investments reduce risk, turning abstract planning into actionable insight that keeps pace with regulations and climate volatility.

Participants will explore how to:

• Assess baseline asset and system risk to prioritize critical infrastructure.

• Integrate vegetation and weather dynamics to anticipate exposure and plan proactive maintenance.

• Model wildfire probability and consequence to guide targeted mitigation strategies.

• Evaluate Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) thresholds and operational risks to better anticipate service interruptions.

• Apply scenario analysis to compare strategies under evolving budgets, policies, and climate conditions, ensuring investments deliver the greatest impact on resilience.

Peter will share how they use DIREXYON to:

• Bring together asset, vegetation, weather, and operational data into one integrated risk view, reducing reliance on disconnected tools and siloed analyses.

• Leverage vegetation and environmental data sources to better understand wildfire exposure and support proactive maintenance planning.

• Support internal decision-making and regulatory discussions by transparently justifying current investment strategies.

• Assess asset condition, compare mitigation alternatives, and prioritize actions based on quantified risk reduction.

• Extend risk-based scenario planning beyond wildfire to support broader utility decision processes such as General Rate Cases (GRC).

Through practical examples of wildfire and investment scenario modelling used by Californian utilities, attendees will see how a stepwise, data-driven approach moves utilities beyond static studies toward continuous, adaptive planning. The result: faster, evidence-based decisions that build long-term resilience in the face of climate-driven wildfire risk.

This is a virtual webinar. Links will be sent to registered attendees prior to the event. For any questions, please contact Events@theiam.org

Sadaf Gharaati

Sadaf Gharaati is an Asset Modeling Specialist at DIREXYON Technologies, where she
designs and configures simulation solutions for municipalities and power utilities. Her
work focuses on helping organizations assess asset failure risks—particularly in the
context of climate change and wildfire exposure—and evaluate the impact of different
investment and asset management strategies. Through asset-centric simulations, she
supports data-driven decisions that strengthen infrastructure resilience.

Sadaf holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from Concordia University and a
bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Kashan. She brings together
strong technical skills, analytical rigor, and a deep understanding of infrastructure risk to
help utilities navigate complex operational and climate-related challenges.

Peter Stoltman

Peter Stoltman is the Senior Manager of Wildfire Prevention at Liberty Utilities (CalPeco),
where he leads the utility’s wildfire risk-modeling, data analytics, and system-wide
mitigation strategy. He oversees Wildfire Prevention, Vegetation Management, Emergency Management, and Risk Modeling, integrating multi-disciplinary data to assess ignition risk, forecast wildfire exposure, and guide defensible investment decisions.

He directs the development of Liberty’s Wildfire Mitigation Plan, applying advanced
analytical frameworks to meet CPUC and OEIS requirements for ignition probability
modeling, asset vulnerability assessment, and mitigation effectiveness. Peter’s work
centers on integrated wildfire risk models that combine asset condition, vegetation,
weather, fuels, and operational risk. He has presented wildfire modeling insights at
industry conferences and regulatory proceedings.

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IAM Webinar - From Climate Risk to Wildfire Resilience: Scenario Planning for the Grid of Tomorrow - Corporate Member Price

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