In this episode of Transmission Impossible, I’m joined by Clint Thurmon for a brilliant conversation on what really separates successful high voltage construction teams from the pack.

Having started his career in the field before moving into senior leadership, Clint has built and scaled transmission and substation divisions from the ground up, taking teams from zero to significant revenue while staying lean, practical, and field-focused.

After two episodes focused on grid strategy, this was a fascinating insight into what's going on with live projects on the ground.

We discuss:

• Why the people turning the wrenches are often the most important people on the project
• What executives often misunderstand about field execution
• How Clint went from apprentice and foreman to building major T&D divisions
• Why titles matter far less than whether you help the team get the work done
• How to scale a construction division without over-hiring too early
• Why preconstruction and construction need to be in the same conversation much earlier
• How trust is built, and lost, with utilities and clients
• Why the labour shortage is not just a numbers problem
• What young people should understand about a career in high voltage construction

In today’s episode, we were joined by Mike Malguarnera, previously Director of Market & Transmission Analytics at BW Solar, for a fascinating conversation on why the grid is often far messier, riskier, and more nuanced than it looks from the outside.

With experience spanning utilities, cooperatives, power markets, FTRs, IRPs, interconnection, storage siting, and project development, Mike has seen how small assumptions can turn into very expensive mistakes. He brings a rare blend of market knowledge, transmission insight, and developer-side pragmatism.

We discuss:

• Whether the industry really needs more transmission - or better use of what already exists
• Why cheap interconnection does not always mean strong project economics
• How an $8m transformer upgrade changed the assumptions behind hundreds of millions in investment
• Why missed tariff deadlines can kill projects almost instantly
• The difference between interconnection modelling and economic modelling
• Why consultants are essential - but not always enough
• The case for having internal grid expertise earlier in the development process
• How land, queue risk, local opposition, and capital exposure all collide
• Why data centers could change the power dynamic between utilities and large-load customers
• Where Mike would place a bet in today’s market if money were no object

Books discussed on the show:

https://a.co/d/0awPgkvF

https://a.co/d/0awPgkvF

Featured on the show:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-malguarnera-p-e-a6705014/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/charlie-webb-a5605768/