If you’re in the wholesale or resale natural gas or electric power business, then you’re likely familiar with the North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB). Their standards are designed to lead to a seamless marketplace for electricity and natural gas. Their membership includes about 300 corporate members and additional non-member volunteers who contribute to the drafting and adopting of NAESB standards. In this Emerson Automation Experts podcast, I’m joined by Martha Rendon to discuss NAESB and the challenges and solutions around standards compliance. Give the podcast a listen and visit the Order-to-Cash (O2C) Software for Energy Logistics section on Emerson.com for more information on how you can integrate all commercial activities (also known as order-to-cash) in a single software solution, resulting in greater efficiency, faster month-end closing, and improved compliance with local regulations, including NAESB. Transcript Jim: Hi, everyone. This is Jim Cahill with another Emerson Automation Experts podcast. The North American Energy Standards Board, known as NAESB, serves as an industry forum for the development and promotion of standards to advance marketplace efficiency for wholesale and retail natural gas and electricity. Today, I'm joined by Martha Rendon, who you may recall from an earlier podcast, to discuss the NAESB and its interactions in the industry. Welcome, Martha. Martha: Hello, Jim. Thank you so much for inviting me. Jim: Well, it's great to have you back with us. Let's open by asking you to share your background with our listeners. Martha: Okay. I am currently the Senior Product Manager for the Gas Commercial Solutions with Emerson. I have a bachelor's degree in computer science, and I am certified in project management professional, the PMP. Also, I have a certification in business design thinking. I have been working with Emerson for 16 years now, and working mainly with the gas management solution as commercial gas subject matter expert. You know, it is involved with the commercial gas business transportation processes mainly. Jim: Well, that sounds like great background for our discussion. So let's get into NAESB now. So what is NAESB, and what is its role in the gas industry? Martha: Yes, the NAESB, the North American Energy Standards Board, as you were indicating at the beginning, is the organization that plays an important role in the natural gas industry, as well as in the energy and electricity industry. They develop and promote the standards that are oriented to improve efficiency and ensure that the market is transparent. They have standards as well that are oriented to facilitate interoperability and ensure at the end that the market is efficient and competitive. In the U.S., we have in the gas sector is an open market. So the NAESB is working closely with the FERC, that is the agency, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in the U.S. to develop the standards that are aligned with that regulatory requirements. For instance, NAESB standards often incorporate into FERC orders that govern the natural gas industry. So that is mainly the role for the NAESB in the gas industry. Jim: Okay, so what is the importance of complying with the NAESB standards for gas pipelines and distribution companies? Martha: Yes, and as mentioned before, the natural gas business is a mature market in North America. So complying with these standards that NAESB is defined ...