The Power of Collaboration

How Communication, Processes, and Tools Strengthen Collaboration in the Global Power Market

As the global energy landscape evolves, driven by data-center growth, renewable-generation expansion, electrification, and the deployment of HVDC, HVAC, and Battery Energy Storage Systems, the demands on the power-infrastructure supply chain have never been greater. Power projects now span continents, integrate multiple technologies, and involve a diverse set of stakeholders: utilities, engineering firms, contractors, OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturer), regulators, software providers, and operators.

With all this complexity, it is stunning that progress is happening at the rate it is. But this is not because of luck or positive thinking making these large infrastructure projects a reality. In an increasingly algorithmic, automated, and AI-centric working environment, it is a surprisingly human-centered activity: collaboration. A discipline that many stakeholders have been pointing to as a means to elevate the power-infrastructure grid.

To better understand the importance of collaboration, how it’s currently happening, and how it can be improved, we interviewed power-industry engineers, materials experts, and project-planning consultants. In general, collaboration is considered an effective mechanism for bridging differences in priorities, technical know-how, cultural norms, and safety expectations. Yet, as projects increasingly cross borders and disciplines, trust, communication, and transparency need to become even more essential engineering and implementation tools.

What is “Collaboration” in the Global Power Market?

Collaboration in the global power market is not just working together, it is the structured, transparent, and continuous coordination of expertise, information, and decision-making among all parties to ensure that modern power infrastructure is designed, manufactured, installed, and operated safely and effectively across borders and organizational boundaries.

The terms “Collaboration” and “Cooperation” are often used interchangeably in the global power market. But there are differences. Collaboration is strategic and long-term in nature. Whereas cooperation is more transactional in nature. Each party tries to optimize their own priorities and limit information sharing with others. Cooperation is often a contractual, short-term arrangement where project risks are not always shared. For example, if a contractor were to surpass the maximum tension or sidewall bearing pressure limits of the cable during its installation into conduit, damage to the cable is possible. The damage is often not detected at the time of installation, rather months or years later. In such a case, the contractor has transferred the risk onto the asset owner. An open dialogue between the engineering design company, asset owner and installer is critical to ensure that the cable is installed correctly, that proper materials were used in the installation, and that the physical and mechanical limits were not surpassed.

In short, collaboration makes things run smoother—for everyone. It aligns stakeholder priorities, shares risk, and optimizes global power infrastructure outcomes.

Addressing the Need for Alignment

The modernization of the global power system has introduced a level of complexity that no single organization—utility, contractor, OEM, or regulator—can manage in isolation. Collaboration is the mechanism that aligns these diverse interests and ensures that power infrastructure is delivered safely, efficiently, and predictably.

Laurie Bowman, author of Dealing with Uncertainty, describes why collaboration becomes indispensable in multinational engineering work:

“Conflicts of priorities, resource constraints, and high-stakes decisions are inevitable in any complex project. Teams routinely face budget limitations, competing stakeholder expectations, and evolving risks that demand difficult trade-offs. These challenges are often intensified by cultural differences, language barriers, and distance—but collaboration remains essential to overcoming them.”

Without alignment, projects become vulnerable to miscommunication, design inconsistencies, incompatible equipment, and delayed execution—leading to cost overruns, operational risk, and erosion of public trust.

Among the many benefits of collaboration, one stands out most clearly: the transfer of knowledge. Strong collaboration enables veteran engineers to pass decades of technology and materials expertise to the next generation. By reducing friction in communication and coordination, organizations can preserve critical know-how built over 30–50 years—ensuring continuity with the values and institutional knowledge of the global power market.

Edward Bradley, Principal Distribution Standards Engineer, highlights what’s at stake as the industry faces widespread undergrounding challenges:

“It’s a very different work environment from when I started. I was 20 years younger than anyone in my department, and I inherited more than 40 years of undergrounding knowledge from the people I worked with. Finding successors who are committed to underground work—and to passing that knowledge on—is a real challenge. When I retire, nearly 100 years of undergrounding experience will walk out the door. What happens if that’s occurring across the industry?”

Bradley adds that generational shifts are changing priorities:

“The next generation seems more focused on career progression than on building deep technical knowledge and experience, which was the priority when I started my career.”

Peter Robinson, Director of Cable Systems Engineering, underscores why knowledge transfer is especially critical as utilities install higher voltages to meet growing power demand:

“There’s always history behind how work is done. Many contractors started with medium voltage—33 kV in Australia—and treated it much like low voltage. MV can be forgiving. But as projects move into higher voltages, that approach becomes dangerous. With the rapid growth of BESS installations, many teams are entering HV work without sufficient expertise. The industry’s understanding and education haven’t kept pace with its technical demands. That gap must be closed through the transfer of knowledge, both from experienced multinational OEMs and construction firms to local teams, as well as an educational investment in personnel.”

In an industry where complexity is accelerating, collaboration is no longer optional—it is the foundation for safety, reliability, and long-term success.

Challenges in Infrastructure Design and Installation

The use of digital design platforms, shared data environments, and integrated risk-management practices are reshaping how global teams communicate and coordinate. At the same time, workforce development training, cultural awareness programs, and structured communication protocols are becoming standard as organizations recognize the real cost of misalignment. Plus, the need for the effective transfer of technical knowledge is viewed as essential to building reliable infrastructure.

Despite these advances, friction points remain. Conflicts of interest and limited familiarity with new technologies entering a market can undermine even well-intentioned collaboration.

Principal Distribution Standards Engineer, Edward Bradley, shares a real-world example involving renewable-energy contractors and a safety issue with 34 kV switchgear installed at a solar farm:

“Contractors building solar facilities do everything they can to control costs. When we asked them to add safety improvements to their switchgear, they initially resisted. I told them our people couldn’t operate the equipment because it lacked visible breaks and was difficult to ground. Once we openly discussed our safety concerns and their cost constraints, they made the necessary changes.”

This case illustrates the power of open dialogue in resolving friction and aligning stakeholder priorities. Without it, the outcome could have been unsafe installations, operational refusal, costly redesigns—or, most critically, harm to operators.

A second example highlights how misalignment of roles and expertise can drive up costs, delay projects, and ultimately disrupt service to utility customers.

Director of Cable Systems Engineering, Peter Robinson, describes a recent substation and high-voltage installation in South Australia:

“A contractor completed a 132 kV job—high voltage by our standards. A substation contractor was responsible for the delivery of the associated cable system including: footing design, steel support structures for sealing ends, trench design, cable routing—the whole lot. The substation contractor insisted they could handle the design and construction themselves.”

Peter explains the consequences of assigning high-voltage work to a team without sufficient HV experience:

“They made a rookie mistake in the steel design by creating a closed steel loop. The installation consisted of single core cables, so eddy currents formed in service, causing a hotspot just below the cable termination. The installation didn’t last 12 months. That’s basic electrical design—something you simply don’t do. This is an example of the kind of issue that keeps recurring when people aren’t qualified or familiar with the environment they’re working in.”

As projects grow more complex and stakes continue to rise, these examples reinforce a clear message: collaboration, open dialogue, and knowledge transfer are not soft skills—they are essential safeguards for safety, reliability, and long-term project success.

How Collaboration is Happening in the Global Power Market

Collaboration, meant to align practices and policies for the installation and operation of global infrastructure, is subject to a number of challenges. These include culture, language, and distance. Cultural differences can impact the pace of negotiations, agreement, and trust. Social and power distance can inhibit interaction and induce silence to the detriment of open communication. For example, collaboration can become challenging when international teams include individuals from cultures with high “Power Distance”—where lower-ranking team members hesitate to contradict superiors or raise concerns. This dynamic can keep critical information siloed.

Laurie Bowman relates how power distance can affect open dialogue and collaboration:

“Silence is the most expensive failure mode in global infrastructure engineering. Power distance creates silence. When people defer to hierarchy or hold back because of language, culture, or perceived status, critical information disappears from the conversation.”

An example of how different cultures reduce the negative effects of information silos to facilitate collaboration is the use of Gyansabha in India. Jagdish Sandhanshiv, Director of Knowledge Cluster explains the concept of Gyansabha:

“Collaboration is not treated as a transactional activity but as a living knowledge process we call Gyansabha. The term Gyansabha is derived from two Sanskrit roots: Gyan meaning knowledge, and Sabha meaning a gathering of intellectuals. Gyansabhas are designed to create deep, multidirectional knowledge exchange rather than one-way presentations, which help to dismantle information silos and strengthen collaboration.”

Photo of Gyansabha at Care4Cable, 2024

Sandhanshiv goes on to explain the outcomes of Gyansabha:

“(Gyansabha) helps us uncover our unknown unknowns and reminds us how wonderful the journey of knowledge can be. A series of Gyansabhas on transformer operation and repair and on underground cable installation uncovered insights that allowed for improved repair and installation methodologies. The transformer Gyansabhas resulted in the insight that transformer oil leakage is a universal problem, irrespective of geography, voltage class, ownership model, or age of the asset. Through further discussions, it became evident that many leak-repair contractors were using sealants not suitable for oil-filled electrical equipment. The risks associated with chemical incompatibility, inadequate pressure resistance, and lack of long-term performance were often underestimated. This allowed for testing of new materials and the acceptance of high-performance sealants.”

In the case of underground cable installation in conduit, Gyansabhas uncovered a lack of understanding of the risks associated with sidewall bearing pressure (SWB) when a cable is pulled through the duct. Using the Polywater® Pull-Planner® software, the design engineers were able to understand these risks, which allowed them to plan for appropriate measures to be taken and to mitigate these risks before cable installation.”

In the power industry, Gyansabhas enable better underground utility design, effective maintenance practices, longer asset life, and ultimately a lower total cost of ownership of power assets.

Common Areas for Strengthening Collaboration

Other than Gyansabhas, there are many areas where collaboration already happens and areas where it can be strengthened. The essential focus areas for collaboration in global power infrastructure projects are listed below.

Safety – Worker Safety Codes, Public Safety, Asset Safety, and Environmental Safety laws.

Safety is an absolute responsibility of all project stakeholders. Keeping workers and working environments safe, the safe installation and operation of power infrastructure, the safe handling of assets like cable leading up to and during installation, the prevention of insulating oil or gas leakage from transformers and switchgear, as well as the prevention of contamination of the environment are key reasons for collaboration on safety issues.

Technical – Joint engineering reviews, modeling, testing, and design coordination.

Technical collaboration is often achieved in industry associations such as CIGRE, IEEE, IEC and their country affiliates. These groups host industry experts in many topics affecting the global power market. They also host roundtable discussions, presentations and product and services exhibitions. These groups also publish Technical Bulletins related to technology developments, standards and installation procedures.

Technical collaboration is a means to minimize uncertainties about new and existing technologies. It allows for the assessment of different technologies and their applicability to specific project requirements.

Operational Collaboration – Integration of installation practices, safety protocols, and commissioning procedures.

Operational collaboration is usually made between the OEM, contractors, and asset owner to communicate site environmental factors, technology feature functionality, project timeline and potential risks.

Positive operational collaboration helps to assign responsibilities and align objectives of the parties involved in the installation and operation of infrastructure systems.

Regulatory – Engagement with permitting authorities to align codes and standards.

Regulatory collaboration involves compliance with environmental and safety standards as well as transportation restrictions and Right of Way permissions.

Regulatory collaboration involves the participation of engineers, consultants, and government agencies. It often takes the most time in power project planning, as it can be bureaucratic and slow.

Knowledge Transfer – Cross-training, field demonstrations, and communication frameworks to address cultural and language differences.

Knowledge transfer collaboration can occur in many venues and can be very informal. It establishes trust and consensus between stakeholders. OEMs, utilities, contractors, engineering consultants, and others can all benefit from the exchange of knowledge.

There are many forms that knowledge transfer can take. From seminars, tradeshows, and industry gatherings to product demonstrations and podcasts, knowledge transfer fortifies collaboration between team members and stakeholders.

Commercial Collaboration – Shared budgeting, contracting, procurement planning, and risk allocation.

This form of collaboration can involve many stakeholders where contractors, engineers, and utilities can understand their monetary and performance risks and contractual obligations.

Collaboration takes these forms and others. All are used to create trust and strategic alignment for project stakeholders. It makes communication between stakeholders efficient and clear so that points of friction can be identified and project uncertainties defined.

The Continued Need for Collaboration

To meet the challenges faced in the global power industry, collaboration is more than a practice—it has become a foundational requirement. Today’s power projects span borders, disciplines, and organizational cultures, making technical alignment, clear communication, and shared decision-making essential to success. Whether transferring decades of expertise to the next generation of engineers in the United States, integrating BESS into existing grid infrastructure in Australia, or identifying effective transformer repair technologies and underground cable design through Gyansabha in India, collaboration provides a common language, shared situational awareness, and the trust needed to manage complexity, reduce uncertainty, and deliver safe, resilient infrastructure.

Looking ahead, the importance of collaboration will only grow. The transition toward higher levels of renewable energy, digitalization, and electrification demands deeper integration of expertise across OEMs, utilities, contractors, regulators, and technology providers. The global power system can only achieve the reliability, scalability, and flexibility it requires if stakeholders maintain open dialogue, respect cultural differences, and commit to coordinated problem-solving. In this environment, collaboration is not merely a management strategy; it is the essential organizational discipline that enables the modern grid to be built, operate, adapt, and thrive.

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