The Annual Conference for Protective Relay Engineers is a premier event for professionals in power system protection, held at Texas A&M University with technical sessions, pre-conference seminars, and networking opportunities.

2026 Conference Overview

The 2026 Conference for Protective Relay Engineers took place in-person at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, from March 30 to April 2, 2026. This event marked the 79th edition of the conference, which has been a leading platform for sharing the latest developments in protective relay technology and applications for nearly eight decades .

Pre-Conference Events

On Monday, March 30, 2026, the conference offered free pre-conference technical seminars providing early learning and networking opportunities. Topics included:

• Effects of renewables and inverter-based resources on protection and control
• SEL Blueframe® software platform scalability
• Monitoring fast load changes
• Advanced digital fault recorder (DFR) solutions
• Case studies on maintaining power system stability in Brazil and Spain
• Wildfire mitigation research and solutions for power systems

Conference Agenda

The main conference featured:

• Paper presentations and Q&A sessions covering general protection principles, advanced transmission and distribution protection, digital substations, and communication technologies
• Sessions on transformer differential protection, underfrequency load-shedding techniques, sub-transmission fault location, and inverter-based resource protection
• Emphasis on virtualization, digital substations, interoperability, and cybersecurity
• Presentations on artificial intelligence applications for relay settings and practical experiences with Low Power Instrument Transformers (LPITs)

Networking and Exhibitions

The conference included an interactive exhibition hall with industry sponsors such as Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, GE Vernova, SynchroGrid, ETAP, and ASPEN. Evening receptions provided opportunities for professionals to connect and exchange ideas .

Future Conferences

Attendees are encouraged to mark their calendars for the 80th Annual Conference, scheduled for March 22–25, 2027, continuing the tradition of advancing knowledge in protective relay engineering .

Additional Resources

• A mobile app is available for the conference, providing schedules, venue maps, and networking tools .
• For inquiries, contact Sharon Loe ([email protected]) or Jessica Meadors ([email protected]), or call (979) 845-7912 . This conference remains a critical event for engineers, researchers, and utility professionals to stay updated on cutting-edge technologies, grid reliability strategies, and smart grid readiness.