John Wolfram is the founder and Principal of Catalyst Consulting LLC. He is a utility rate expert with broad experience in electric and gas utility leadership, ratemaking and regulatory affairs, marketing, planning and operations.
He began his career in 1990 with PJM, where he implemented energy management systems for the reliable operation of the multi-state transmission grid. He worked with Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company on similar matters before returning to PJM during the deregulation of the electric wholesale market. Mr. Wolfram implemented new practices and tools for the PJM power pool in conjunction with FERC Order Nos. 888 and 889.
In 1997, Mr. Wolfram joined Louisville Gas & Electric Company (“LG&E”), first in the Energy Trading group and then in the Generation Planning department, where he produced least-cost planning assessments and written testimony for state approval for new power plants. As Manager of Regulatory Affairs for LG&E and Kentucky Utilities Company (“KU”), he directed strategic regulatory initiatives with FERC and with regulators in Kentucky and Virginia, including rate cases, certificates of public convenience and necessity and transmission siting proceedings, compliance & management audits, RTO membership, and hydroelectric relicensing. He testified many times before the Kentucky Public Service Commission. Mr. Wolfram then served as Director of Customer Service & Marketing for LG&E and KU, where he was responsible for all facets of customer interaction, including marketing, major accounts, walk-in offices, call centers, customer inquiries, negotiation of franchise agreements, economic development, and energy efficiency programs.
In 2010, Mr. Wolfram joined The Prime Group, LLC, a rate and regulatory consulting firm, as a Senior Consultant. In that role he provided consulting services to investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, and electric cooperatives on matters related to rate design, cost of service studies, revenue requirements, open access transmission tariffs, RTO membership, and special rate structures.
In 2012, he founded Catalyst Consulting LLC, a rate and regulatory consulting firm specializing in utility rate cases, tariffs, FERC formula rates, and complex regulatory matters. At Catalyst, Mr. Wolfram provides expert testimony and serves as a trusted advisor to utility leaders, excelling in that unique space where utility policy-making, accounting, engineering, legal, planning, and operations intersect.
Mr. Wolfram has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University with a concentration in power system modeling and engineering management. He is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers and has testified as an expert witness many times before state and federal regulators. He regularly presents on rate and regulatory topics to utilities, at stakeholder meetings and at national conferences.