Transmission Impossible

Charlie Webb
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  • Entrepreneurship

The demand for power has never been greater. With AI infrastructure being built at unprecedented scale, and the grid already struggling to meet demand, the construction of new energy infrastructure is of national concern. In this educational podcast, we interview leaders from across the energy continuum to understand where the real bottlenecks lie - be it interconnection queues, equipment and labor shortages, ever-changing regulations and more - and the best strategies for overcoming them.

Episodes

  1. 1d ago

    #4 - Glen Davis, Power Markets: Booms, Busts and What Comes Next

    In this episode of Transmission Impossible, we were joined by Glen Davis, a veteran energy executive whose career has spanned more than 30 years of change across the US power market. Glen joined AES in its early years and stayed with the company through its IPO, extraordinary international growth, and the subsequent collapse of the merchant power boom. He’s since built and led businesses across multiple technologies and markets, served as CEO, and today advises and sits on the boards of companies across storage, distributed generation and power development. Having lived through several major cycles of the industry, Glen brings a rare perspective on what’s genuinely different today - and what may simply be history repeating itself. We discuss: Why Glen is sceptical about the timeframe of the nuclear “renaissance”What the collapse of the early merchant power market can teach today’s developersWhy merchant strategies may now be making a comebackHow the removal of tax credits is widening the gap between the “haves and have-nots”Why interconnection remains a brutal combination of cost, schedule and uncertaintyThe trade-offs between concentrating in one market and diversifying too earlyWhy ERCOT remains attractive despite increasing competition and merchant riskHow data centres are beginning to change generation and site-selection strategyWhy Glen believes wind and solar can continue to thrive without permanent subsidiesWhat separates strong leadership and decision-making from unnecessary bureaucracyThe advice Glen would give his 30-year-old self after three decades in the industryAnd where he would put $1 billion if he had to make one energy bet todayA fascinating conversation with someone who has seen the US power market evolve from the early days of independent generation through to today’s era of storage, large loads and rapidly changing commercial models. Books discussed on the show: https://a.co/d/0iXK16wm Featured on the show: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glen-davis-7149561/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/

  2. May 8

    #3 Clint Thurmon, The Playbook for 9-Figure T&D Construction

    In this episode of Transmission Impossible, I’m joined by Clint Thurmon for a brilliant conversation on what really separates successful high voltage construction teams from the pack. Having started his career in the field before moving into senior leadership, Clint has built and scaled transmission and substation divisions from the ground up, taking teams from zero to significant revenue while staying lean, practical, and field-focused. After two episodes focused on grid strategy, this was a fascinating insight into what's going on with live projects on the ground. We discuss: Why the people turning the wrenches are often the most important people on the projectWhat executives often misunderstand about field executionHow Clint went from apprentice and foreman to building major T&D divisionsWhy titles matter far less than whether you help the team get the work doneHow to scale a construction division without over-hiring too earlyWhy preconstruction and construction need to be in the same conversation much earlierHow trust is built, and lost, with utilities and clientsWhy the labour shortage is not just a numbers problemWhat young people should understand about a career in high voltage construction

  3. May 1

    #2 - Michael Malguarnera, Cheap Interconnection, Expensive Mistakes

    In today’s episode, we were joined by Mike Malguarnera, previously Director of Market & Transmission Analytics at BW Solar, for a fascinating conversation on why the grid is often far messier, riskier, and more nuanced than it looks from the outside. With experience spanning utilities, cooperatives, power markets, FTRs, IRPs, interconnection, storage siting, and project development, Mike has seen how small assumptions can turn into very expensive mistakes. He brings a rare blend of market knowledge, transmission insight, and developer-side pragmatism. We discuss: Whether the industry really needs more transmission - or better use of what already existsWhy cheap interconnection does not always mean strong project economicsHow an $8m transformer upgrade changed the assumptions behind hundreds of millions in investmentWhy missed tariff deadlines can kill projects almost instantlyThe difference between interconnection modelling and economic modellingWhy consultants are essential - but not always enoughThe case for having internal grid expertise earlier in the development processHow land, queue risk, local opposition, and capital exposure all collideWhy data centers could change the power dynamic between utilities and large-load customersWhere Mike would place a bet in today’s market if money were no object Books discussed on the show: https://a.co/d/0awPgkvF https://a.co/d/0awPgkvF Featured on the show: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-malguarnera-p-e-a6705014/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/

  4. Apr 10

    #1 - Ramsey Ayass, Grid Strategy in the Age of Large Loads

    In this episode of Transmission Impossible, I’m joined by Ramsey Ayass, SVP of Grid Strategy at SMT Energy, for a brilliant conversation on what’s really slowing projects down in today’s power market.  Hailing from a utility background, Ramsey's experience spans every angle of Grid Strategy and Interconnection. He's borne witness to all of the common pitfalls developers fall into - both generation and load - as well as the trends that separate successful projects from the pack. We discuss: The industry assumption Ramsey thinks people get wrongWhy some projects die before they ever really beginThe overlooked step that can save developers yearsWhat separates strong grid strategy from wishful thinkingWhy ERCOT attracts both believers and scepticsWhat's really happening behind the sceners around large-load interconnectionHow developers can get caught out by “good-looking” sitesWhere Ramsey sees the next real opportunities emerging Books discussed on the show: https://a.co/d/06GBJlSW https://a.co/d/0eS9c6lp Featured on the show: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayass/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/

  • 4 Episodes

About

The demand for power has never been greater. With AI infrastructure being built at unprecedented scale, and the grid already struggling to meet demand, the construction of new energy infrastructure is of national concern. In this educational podcast, we interview leaders from across the energy continuum to understand where the real bottlenecks lie - be it interconnection queues, equipment and labor shortages, ever-changing regulations and more - and the best strategies for overcoming them.

Information

  • Creator
    Charlie Webb
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Transmission Impossible
  • Show Website
    Transmission Impossible