Thursday, June 4th, 2026 | 2:00 PM ET
Electricity demand across the United States is rising rapidly, driven by industrial growth, data centers, electrification and population expansion. At the same time, aging generation assets, power plant retirements and transmission constraints are creating new pressures on regional electricity grids.
For energy-intensive industries such as meat and poultry processing, these changes can translate into rising electricity costs, increased price volatility and growing operational risk during periods of peak demand.
In this Meat Institute webinar, sponsored by Environ Energy, experts will explore how evolving grid dynamics are affecting energy costs and reliability across key regions that power the protein industry including the Midwest and Central United States.
The session will examine how energy risks can impact processing operations and highlight practical strategies companies are using to better understand energy usage, manage cost exposure and strengthen operational resilience.
Participants will gain insights into how energy planning is becoming an increasingly important component of operational strategy for meat and poultry processors.
Thank You to Our Generous Sponsor
Education Supported By


Environ Energy
Director of Energy Solutions
Oliver leads the Food and Beverage division within Environ and is responsible for strategy development and managing the relationships within this sector. These strategies include the negotiation and management of electric and natural gas power contracts, demand response, renewables, efficiency, project funding, and GHG inventories. Prior to joining APPI now Environ, Oliver worked at Tesla where he developed solar and battery storage projects.

Environ Energy
Vice President, Energy Strategies & Data Analytics
Ben Walker actively manages the firm’s leading-edge approach to the energy markets. This includes statistical probability modeling of market risk, tracking of multiple energy and non-energy pricing components in major US markets, impact of regulatory developments, on-site power generation performance, and investment analysis of solar and other renewable product designs.
Ben specializes in analyzing deep problems, such as developing our industry-leading market analytics, finding business solutions – especially around non-traditional energy (e.g. cogeneration, solar), and developing custom procurement strategies which balance competing priorities from finance and facilities. Additionally, he has a passion for sustainability and has worked with treasury departments from top health care institutions to change how they view investments in renewable energy. In his role, Ben focuses on the twin concepts of risk and value to help organizations make sound financial decisions.
Prior to working at Environ, Ben spent three years as a Research Engineer for academic labs in a hospital setting, helping facilitate basic-science experiments around prosthetic control. He has been published in the diverse fields of neuroscience, energy efficiency of IT equipment, and baseball. He enjoys the outdoors and coaches a local high school’s Ultimate Frisbee team. Ben holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Seattle Pacific University and a master’s degree in Energy & Sustainability from Northwestern University.

