

The 78th Annual Conference for Protective Relay Engineers was held between 31 March and 3 April 2025 in College Staion, Texas, USA at Texas A&M University. This comprehensive technical event included pre-conference seminars from major industry players including Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, GE Vernova, SynchroGrid, ETAP, and ASPEN.
The event hosted ten paper sessions covering topics from general protection principles to advanced transmission and distribution protection, digital substations, and communication technologies. Noteworthy presentations included transformer differential protection, novel underfrequency load-shedding techniques, sub transmission fault location case studies, and innovations in inverter-based resources (IBR) protection.
A strong emphasis was placed on virtualization, digital substations, and communication protocols, with sessions exploring practical implementations, interoperability challenges, and cybersecurity considerations. Presentations on the application of artificial intelligence- such as the use of large language models for relay settings-and practical experiences with LPITs (Low Power Instrument Transformers) underscored the push toward modernization and smart grid readiness.
Evening networking receptions, sponsored by leading vendors, provided valuable opportunities for professionals to connect and exchange ideas.
Overall, the 2025 conference served as a significant platform for engineers, researchers, and utility representatives to discuss the future of power system protection, share field experiences, and examine cutting-edge technologies aimed at ensuring resilient and intelligent grid operations.
