Getting Ahead of Energy Projects: Why Issues Management Starts Long Before Construction

Smelly socks, body odor, and a dry erase board.

Early in my career, I worked for an international public relations firm on an issues management engagement for a federal government agency. Our three person team was assigned to the agency’s Washington, D.C., headquarters and set up in a small, windowless conference room with a few tables and a dry erase board covered in permanent marker. The air, unfortunately, smelled like dirty socks and body odor (and not from us).

At the time, the agency was rolling out new programs that were drawing harsh criticism from the media, government oversight bodies, and the public. Leadership was under intense pressure to turn things around. Our firm was brought in to identify existing flashpoints, anticipate potential issues tied to upcoming programs, and help the agency reduce scrutiny while fostering greater understanding of its work.

For months, we tracked emerging issues, evaluated program risks, and developed dozens of issues management plans from that cramped room. Smelly surroundings aside, the experience left a lasting impression and shaped how I’ve thought about project communications ever since.

Thinking Through the “What Ifs”

The most enduring lesson from that assignment is simple: issues management is a core component of project management, not an add-on or a last minute fix. This is especially true for large, ambitious projects with a public footprint. Anticipating the “what if” scenarios and preparing clear messages and actions to address them is foundational to success. And it starts long before construction begins.

That lesson feels particularly relevant today as the electric utility industry navigates unprecedented change. Electricity demand is surging. Grid infrastructure needs modernization. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe, resulting in prolonged outages. At the same time, utilities are being asked to meet growing demand driven by AI and data centers, all while maintaining reliability, affordability, and sustainability.

Meeting these challenges often requires large, highly visible projects that directly affect customers and surrounding communities. With that visibility comes scrutiny. Questions about cost, environmental impact, land use, and community benefit surface quickly and often.

This is precisely where effective issues management matters.

Issues Management Is Not Crisis Management

At its core, issues management is not crisis management. It’s not spin. And it’s not persuasion. It is a long term, disciplined communication strategy grounded in transparency and respect. When done well, it fosters understanding.

When done poorly or too late, it leaves the organization in a defensive posture, responding to narratives shaped by opponents rather than clearly explaining the project on its own terms. In those situations, the conversation quickly shifts away from the project itself and toward questions of trust.

That’s a losing position.

Lessons From the Front Lines

Kara Baker, CCC, Communications & Marketing Manager for Wabash Valley Power Alliance, has spent more than 20 years in the electric cooperative industry and has seen this dynamic play out repeatedly.

Electric cooperatives succeed when we engage communities early and treat communication as a core part of the project—not an afterthought,” she says. “Proactively explaining the why, how, and community benefits helps build understanding and long term acceptance.”

She’s right. A project is often in trouble when community members first hear about it as construction trucks pull onto a job site. In the absence of information, people fill in the gaps themselves, usually with worst case assumptions.

Instead, utilities should establish a steady cadence of communication well in advance of the start date. That means clearly explaining the project’s rationale, scope, timeline, cost considerations, and community benefits—along with a realistic discussion of impacts and disruption. Ongoing transparency, including acknowledging setbacks and course corrections, reinforces credibility and understanding over time.

The goal isn’t universal support. It’s an informed understanding.

Avoiding Big (and Costly) Surprises

Large projects are much more likely to falter because communities feel excluded, surprised, or misled than because of engineering failures. If communication begins only when permits are filed or hearings are scheduled, it’s already too late.

That risk is amplified in today’s environment, where misinformation, sometimes fueled by AI generated deepfakes, spreads rapidly. Being technically correct is no longer enough. Utilities must communicate early, clearly, plainly, and authentically.

Leading with abstract concepts like “resilience,” “modernization,” or “decarbonization,” while important, often misses the mark. Strong communicators translate system needs into tangible community outcomes, such as their implications for reliability, jobs, cost stability, and local investment.

Just as important is acknowledging what isn’t perfect. Large infrastructure projects have real downsides. Pretending otherwise is unrealistic and erodes trust. Addressing construction disruption, noise, visual impacts, or land use concerns upfront allows communities to weigh trade offs realistically and signals respect.

Honesty, especially when the message is hard, builds credibility.

From Confrontation to Conversation

When issues management is done early and well, it changes the dynamic from potential confrontation to conversation.

Electric cooperatives offer an instructive model. Most electric co-ops serve rural areas, where data centers and other large, energy-intensive facilities are increasingly located. Because co-ops are member-owned and deeply rooted in their communities, and co-op leaders and employees live and work in the communities they serve and understand the project’s impact firsthand. Moreover, co-op employees also experience the consequences of poor communication and the benefits of doing it right.

The Bottom Line: Start Early

Issues management should begin as soon as project discussions begin. Identify potential flashpoints. Develop clear messaging. Consider mitigation strategies. Allow ample time to socialize the project in the community.

When done well, the result is something stronger than public acceptance: public partnership. Communities that understand projects early are better positioned to provide meaningful input, raise legitimate concerns, and even advocate for solutions that benefit everyone.

Opposition may not disappear, but it becomes engagement. And that makes all the difference.