Journal of Critical Infrastructure Policy Volume 1, Number 2, Fall/Winter 2020 | Page 11

Largest US Electric Grid Organization Addresses COVID-19
Journal of Critical Infrastructure Policy • Volume 1 , Number 2 • Fall / Winter 2020

Largest US Electric Grid Organization Addresses COVID-19

Editor ’ s Interview with Manu Asthana , President & CEO of PJM
Manu Asthana oversees the largest power grid in North America and the largest electricity market in the world . He has extensive leadership experience across the electricity industry , including power generation operations , optimization and dispatch , competitive retail electricity , electricity and natural gas trading , and risk management , which he acquired over more than 20 years in the industry . He formerly served as President of Direct Energy Home in North America , where he led a team of over 2,600 to combine the company ’ s retail electricity and home-services businesses , creating a leading energy and home-services provider serving over 3.4 million customers . He previously led power generation operations at Direct Energy , energy trading at both Direct Energy and at the TXU group of companies , as well as generation optimization and dispatch at TXU . In addition , Mr . Asthana also served as chief risk officer of TXU Corporation , where he helped senior management and the board quantify and manage risk in TXU ’ s businesses . Mr . Asthana earned a Bachelor of Science in economics from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania , where he was a Benjamin Franklin Scholar and a Joseph Wharton Scholar . He was interviewed by JCIP Editor Richard Krieg in September 2020 .
Krieg You oversee a regional transmission organization ( RTO ) that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or part of 13 states and Washington D . C . In the composite , it ’ s the largest power grid in North America — and the largest electricity market in the world . Could you describe PJM ’ s organizational dimension ?
7 doi : 10.18278 / jcip . 1.2.2