NERC President and CEO Gerry Cauley has announced plans to move NERC’s headquarters to Atlanta to attract high-quality employees and to be more accessible to its stakeholders. To encourage extensive interaction between NERC and key governmental and regulatory authorities, NERC will also be expanding its DC office.

"This is a critical time in NERC’s evolution as the electric reliability organization for determining a best long-term strategy on office location," Cauley said. "Most importantly, office location influences NERC’s ability to hire and retain qualified staff and to provide a highly functional work environment and culture that will lead to exceptional performance and results, while ensuring effective cost controls."

The decision to relocate the headquarters was made with a long-term perspective to ensure NERC is in the best position to continuously adapt and improve as the ERO in the future. A forward-looking location strategy improves personnel recruitment and retention; the ability to manage and develop personnel in a dynamic environment; access to and interaction with industry stakeholders and key legislative and regulatory authorities; and efficiency and cost control.

Atlanta was chosen for various reasons, including access to various forms of transportation, cost and quality of living, available office space, multiple hotels and venues for meetings, recruitment and retention of professional work force.

The NERC Executive, Standards, Human Resources, Information Technology, Finance, Reliability Assessments and Compliance Operations offices will be located in the Atlanta office. NERC will expand its DC office. DC is the ideal location for NERC’s legal, governmental affairs, critical infrastructure and enforcement departments to be in close proximity for extensive interaction with governmental and regulatory authorities.

NERC’s Board of Trustees endorsed Cauley’s plans on June 11. The transition is anticipated to begin during the fourth quarter of 2010 or early 2011.