WASHINGTON (May 01, 2025) — The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) today announced the domestic and international electric company finalists for the 2025 Edison Award. Presented annually, the Edison Award recognizes electric companies for their distinguished leadership, innovation, and contribution to the advancement of the electric power industry.
In March, an independent panel of reviewers met to evaluate nominations and selected projects from The AES Corporation, Duke Energy, Southern California Edison (SCE), and Southern Company as domestic finalists. Projects from ATCO Electric and Fortis Inc. were selected as international finalists.
“EEI’s member electric companies continue to drive innovation across their companies by investing in and deploying cutting-edge technologies and solutions that benefit the customers and communities they serve,” said EEI interim President and CEO Pat Vincent-Collawn. “This year’s Edison Award finalists have demonstrated exceptional leadership and ingenuity, and this recognition is well-deserved.”
The winners of the 97th Edison Award will be selected by a panel of former electric company chief executives and will be announced during
EEI 2025, EEI’s annual conference and thought leadership forum, to be held June 2-4 in New Orleans.
Learn more about the Edison Award at
eei.org/awards.
Domestic Edison Award Finalists
The AES Corporation – Maximo, the AI-Powered Robot
The AES Corporation unveiled Maximo, a first-of-its-kind robot powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and built to install solar panels quickly, precisely, and efficiently, in 2024. The robot works alongside construction crews to automate heavy lifting and precise placement tasks associated with installing solar panels, ultimately making the installation process safer and reducing costs.
Duke Energy – Setting a New Bar for Climate Resilience and Storm Response
In 2024, Duke Energy advanced its science-based approach to strengthening resilience and grid reliability in the face of extreme weather. The company published the first comprehensive assessment of climate risks across generation, transmission, and distribution for a vertically integrated electric company: the Duke Energy Climate Resilience and Adaptation Study. The significance of the study was underscored by the unprecedented 2024 hurricane season, which included a “once-in-1,000-years event,” that validated the importance of proactive investments in resilience. Recent investments made by Duke Energy to underground lines, upgrade poles, and install self-healing technology helped avoid nearly 550,000 customer outages and saved nearly 7 million hours of total outage time during Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton. The study’s findings offer a blueprint for industry-wide collaboration, innovation, and readiness in the face of increasingly severe weather events.
Southern California Edison (SCE) – AWARE System
SCE’s Advanced Waveform Anomaly Recognition (AWARE) system uses state-of-the-art physics-based AI models and machine learning to identify the unique waveforms for different kinds of equipment failures. It also can help to pinpoint where failures take place within SCE’s service territory, accelerating restoration times and supporting safer and more targeted restoration efforts.
Southern Company – Plant Vogtle Unit 4
Sitting on 3,000 acres of land on the banks of the Savannah River, Plant Vogtle is the largest generator of carbon-free nuclear energy in the United States. Plant Vogtle Unit 4, which entered commercial operation in April 2024, and Vogtle Unit 3 can power 1 million Georgia homes and businesses with reliable clean energy. Collectively, the units have created 800 new good-paying, high-quality permanent jobs while helping to strengthen America’s nuclear energy supply chain and talent pipeline.
International Edison Award Finalists
ATCO Electric (Canada) – Jasper National Park Wildfire Response
The 2024 wildfire in Jasper National Park was one of the most devastating in Canadian history, destroying nearly a third of the town of Jasper and forcing 25,000 residents to evacuate. Despite extensive damage to more than 800 electric and natural gas assets, ATCO Electric restored power to all properties able to receive it within 16 days of the fire’s outbreak—preventing economic losses while supporting community livelihoods.
Fortis Inc. (First Nations/Canada) – Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission System
The approximately $1.9-billion Wataynikaneyap Power Transmission System is Canada’s largest Indigenous-led electricity project. Fortis partnered with Wataynikaneyap Power and 24 First Nations communities to construct an 1,800-kilometer (1,118-mile) transmission line connected to 22 substations. The system connects 17 rural and remote First Nations communities to the Ontario provincial energy grid.
Join electric company leaders and technology innovators at EEI 2025 to learn more about these projects and to see this year’s winners announced!
