HOUSTON — As challenges surrounding thermal energy retirements meet related needs of integrating large-scale renewable generation, utilities are tasked with creating and sustaining resource plans that are economically feasible, help provide the utmost service to customers and meet policy goals. Consulting leaders Debashis Bose and Brian Despard have joined 1898 & Co., part of Burns & McDonnell, in the firm’s Houston office to help utility clients throughout the region address these challenges.

“Across the utility landscape, 1898 & Co. is helping utilities continuously adapt through market assessments that inform the selection of choosing the right energy resources,” says Leslie Duke, president and general manager for the Houston offices of Burns & McDonnell. “As tremendous new leaders in our resource planning and market assessments group, Debashis and Brian will help empower our clients to cultivate economic resource portfolios that not only position them well in the marketplace, but also reliably serve their customers to meet current and future demands.”

With nearly 60 years of combined global experience, Bose and Despard will lead power market assessments and power resource planning for electric utility clients across Texas and around the nation.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome these two highly distinguished consulting professionals to our growing team in Houston,” says Ravikanth Varanasi, managing director for 1898 & Co. in Texas. “Debashis and Brian are poised to help equip utilities to lead the energy transition and drive positive change for their businesses, society and the planet. From integrated resource planning to generation portfolio optimization and capital cost prioritization, our experienced team of future-focused consultants is serving utilities throughout our region.”

The duo brings decades of experience in forecasting, analysis and consultation:

Debashis Bose has more than 25 years of experience as an engineer, project manager and management consulting professional across the energy and utilities sectors. Bose has led technical and commercial advisory services for buyers, owners and sellers of large-scale power resources throughout the world. His specialties include production cost modeling, integrated resource planning and energy market assessments, including long-term power and capacity price forecasting, transaction advisory services for renewable generation and transmission assets, due diligence review of various power generation technologies, commercial and financing agreements, business model structuring and advising clients on major-capital project decision-making. Bose has advised power clients globally, including in the U.S., China, Vietnam, India, Thailand, Turkey, Germany, Spain, Italy and Morocco.

Brian Despard has 32 years of experience with electric power markets, having served as a project manager, consulting director and senior advisor in the consulting space and as a strategic analyst, asset manager and commercial executive in the utility space. His market consulting background spans long-term fundamental analysis, project development and asset transactions support, commodity risk management and power supply portfolio optimization. More recently, Despard has spearheaded several large energy market analysis projects, including integrated resource planning studies, decarbonization studies, alternative market structure studies, portfolio optimization analyses, and commodity hedge program design and implementation analyses.

About 1898 & Co.

1898 & Co. is a business, technology and cybersecurity consulting firm serving the industries that keep our world in motion. As part of Burns & McDonnell, our consultants leverage global experience in critical infrastructure assets to innovate practical solutions grounded in your operational realities. For more information, visit 1898andCo.com.

About Burns & McDonnell

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together an unmatched team of 7,600 engineers, construction professionals, architects, planners, technologists and scientists to design and build our critical infrastructure. With an integrated construction and design mindset, we offer full-service capabilities with more than 60 offices globally. Founded in 1898, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employee-owned. Learn how we are designed to build.