Speakers: Joseph Herrmann, Bill Hirsch, Patrick Rouanzoin, Siny George, Alfred Musgrove (PG&E)

Abstract: 

PG&E operates one of the nation's largest gas transmission and distribution systems — over 6,800 miles of transmission pipeline — monitored 24/7 from a centralized Gas Control Center using AVEVA's OASyS SCADA platform. In 2019, PG&E began deploying AVEVA's Operator Training Simulator (OTS) to create a realistic, risk-free training environment for pipeline operators. Three years in, PG&E is squarely in the middle of its deployment journey — far enough to have real wins and hard-earned lessons, but with a significant wish list still ahead.

This session opens with a brief presentation outlining PG&E's five core use cases for the OTS:
1. Initial & Refresher Training — Onboarding new operators without risk to the production system, accelerating time-to-competence.
2. Individual Skill Development — Simulating leak-to-rupture scenarios, alarm response, trend analysis, and event-location pinpointing.
3. Team-Based Exercises — Practicing real control room structure: chain-of-command, notifications, and cross-role responsibilities.
4. Management of Change (MOC) — Building new stations and station upgrades in the simulator to enable operator training before Release to Operations.
5. Proof of Concept & Engineering Support — Testing proposed station designs, control philosophy, and new procedures in a sandbox before implementation.
Following the presentation, a fireside chat with PG&E's SCADA engineers, simulation builders, CRM training lead, and Gas Control Director will offer a candid look at what it's really like to be in the middle of a large-scale OTS deployment.

The panel will discuss what's delivering value today, what they've added to the to-do list because of what they've learned, what they would do differently if starting from scratch, and the challenges they're still actively solving — from resource models and SCADA synchronization to building internal expertise and making the case for dedicated headcount. This session is designed for utilities at any stage of their simulator journey who want practical, unvarnished insight from a team that's living it right now.