Grid resilience tabletop exercise—Rochester

Regional emergency preparedness tabletop exercise

Through a grant from the Minnesota Department of Commerce, MMUA is coordinating a series of six regional tabletop exercises around the state in 2026. These exercises will simulate large-scale impacts on city-wide services and the regional electric grid within a geographic area.

At each regional event, participants will work through an electric utility-based emergency scenario that affects all city services. Small-group discussions will explore the local impacts of relevant events, such as wildfires, high windstorm damage, extended power supply interruptions, and other major emergencies. Each scenario will walk through the successive steps required to restore essential services when long-range planning and coordinated responses are necessary.

The goal for each event is to ensure participants gain practical, real-world insight that enhance preparedness and coordination across a given region for city operations, utility functions, evacuation considerations, recovery, and restoration.

Why is it important that you participate?

This exercise offers several benefits:

• build relationships to rely on during an actual emergency
• test your existing Emergency Action Plan (EAP)
• and, if you don't have an EAP, receive a sample/template to develop one

Facilitated discussions will reveal potential vulnerabilities within your organization and across the broader region, helping everyone strengthen grid resiliency and accelerate recovery.

Participants will identify potential vulnerabilities and strengthen grid resilience, recovery, and restoration efforts while gaining practical, real-world insight into emergency response and recovery operations. The exercise also helps strengthen mutual aid preparedness across the region and builds strong, enduring relationships with partners you will rely on during an actual emergency.

Who should attend?

Attendance is limited to one or two individuals in your community whose roles/duties may include fire chief or emergency preparedness personnel, city administrator or manager, general manager or other senior leadership, utility operations manager, and lead for the city or utility services.

Any community can attend, not just those with an electric utility. Major emergencies affect the whole region, so your involvement is vital.

Topics will include:

• Emergency Action Plan (EAP) implementation
• Performing mock damage assessments
• Evacuation planning
• Identifying and prioritizing critical customers
• Staff staging and coordination
• Public information and communications leadership
• Managing long-duration emergency operations
  
  

Registration

This in-person event is open to invited communities, electric cooperatives, and investor owned utilities. Lunch and refreshments will be provided. There is no cost to attend thanks to a Minnesota Department of Commerce Grid Resiliency Grant.

Registration is required, and attendance is limited to ensure a wide range of participant engagement and maximum benefit for all.