Registration is now open for the 2025 Emerging Issues Forum: Future Forward Energy. The forum, held by the Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) at NC State University, will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, at the NC State University McKimmon Center in Raleigh.
Approximately 14 million people are expected to call North Carolina “home” by the year 2050 – an increase of 3.8 million people since 2020. Currently, electricity demand in North Carolina is growing at the fastest rate seen in 30 years. The 2025 Emerging Issues Forum will examine the demands being placed on North Carolina’s energy infrastructure as a result of an influx of energy-intensive businesses, increasing adoption of electric vehicles, population growth, extreme weather events and more.
To meet our projected energy needs, we must closely examine bottlenecks in our infrastructure and act now to fix them. The forum will bring together policymakers, industry experts and community leaders to address the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the state. Sessions will focus on lessons from Hurricane Helene, the potential impacts of AI on our energy systems, alignment of programs, the resiliency and reliability of our energy infrastructure, and energy affordability for households and industry. An agenda is available on IEI’s website.
Initial lineup of speakers include:
- Kendal Bowman, North Carolina President, Duke Energy
- Tim Boyum, Political Anchor, Spectrum News 1
- Christopher Chung, Chief Executive Officer, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina
- Chuck Flink, Award-Winning Author, Director of the Pappas Real Estate Development Program at NC State University
- Julie Woosley, Director, State Energy Office
Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.
Students attending any two- or four-year college or university within the state can attend the forum at a discounted rate of $50 or can apply for a limited number of scholarships to attend the forum at no cost. Scholarships will also be available to those who identify ticket affordability as a barrier to attending the forum and meet specific criteria.
To learn more about the forum and register, visit go.ncsu.edu/2025forum.
