diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index 7f8a504f..f6392879 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -243,6 +243,67 @@ jobs:
                    export _GRID2OP_FORCE_TEST=1
                    python -m unittest grid2op/tests/fromChronix2grid.py
 
+    test_powermodels:
+        executor: python312
+        resource_class: medium+  # install_julia step killed w/"small"
+        steps:
+            - checkout
+            - run:
+                command: |
+                  sudo  apt-get update
+                  sudo  apt-get install -y coinor-cbc
+            - run: python -m pip install virtualenv
+            - run: python -m virtualenv venv_test
+            - run:
+                name: Install Python dependencies
+                command: |
+                  source venv_test/bin/activate
+                  python -m pip install -U pip setuptools wheel pytest
+            - run:
+                name: Install Grid2op
+                command: |
+                  source venv_test/bin/activate
+                  # below (1 line) is fine when released pandamodelsbackend works w/grid2op
+                  # python -m pip install -e .[powermodels]
+                  # but when need special PdMdB repo, in this case to work with grid2op 1.11dev, use below (2 lines)
+                  python -m pip install -e .
+                  python -m pip install 'git+https://github.com/MOSSLab-MIT/PandaModelsBackend.git@g2o_v1p11'
+                  pip freeze
+            - run:
+                name: Install Julia and power software
+                command: |
+                  source venv_test/bin/activate
+                  ./utils/install_julia.sh 1.10.4
+                  python -m pip install julia
+                  julia -e 'using Pkg; Pkg.add(["PandaModels", "PyCall"])'
+            - run:
+                name: Environment information
+                command: |
+                  source venv_test/bin/activate
+                  pip list
+                  pip list | grep -e power -e grid -e panda
+                  which python python-jl julia
+                  python --version
+                  python-jl --version
+                  julia --version
+                  julia -e 'using Pkg; Pkg.status(); Pkg.status(outdated=true)'
+                  julia -e 'using PyCall; math = pyimport("math"); print(math.sin(math.pi/4))'
+            - run:
+                name: Test PowerModels in PandaPower
+                command: |
+                  source venv_test/bin/activate
+                  pyMm=$(python -c "import sys;print(f'{sys.version_info.major}.{sys.version_info.minor}')")
+                  python -m pytest -v venv_test/lib/python$pyMm/site-packages/pandapower/test/opf/test_pandamodels_runpm.py
+                  # use python-jl instead of python above if get a static libpython error
+            - run:
+                name: Test PandaModelsBackend
+                command: |
+                  source venv_test/bin/activate
+                  pyMm=$(python -c "import sys;print(f'{sys.version_info.major}.{sys.version_info.minor}')")
+                  python venv_test/lib/python$pyMm/site-packages/pandamodelsbackend/tests/test_backend_api.py
+                  # use python-jl instead of python above if get a static libpython error
+
+
     install39:
         executor: python39
         resource_class: small
@@ -395,6 +456,7 @@ workflows:
           - legacy_lightsim_old_pp
           - legacy_lightsim
           - test_chronix2grid
+          - test_powermodels
 
     install:
         jobs:
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 1f5a0824..1e62d081 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -79,7 +79,10 @@ def my_test_suite():
                  ],
         "chronix2grid": [
             "ChroniX2Grid>=1.2.0.post1"
-            ]
+            ],
+        "powermodels": [
+                "PandaModelsBackend"
+            ],
     }
 }
 pkgs["extras"]["test"] += pkgs["extras"]["optional"]
diff --git a/utils/install_julia.sh b/utils/install_julia.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..6bfec166
--- /dev/null
+++ b/utils/install_julia.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# install julia vX.Y.Z:  ./install-julia.sh X.Y.Z
+# install julia nightly: ./install-julia.sh nightly
+
+# LICENSE
+#
+# Copyright © 2013 by Steven G. Johnson, Fernando Perez, Jeff
+# Bezanson, Stefan Karpinski, Keno Fischer, Jake Bolewski, Takafumi
+# Arakaki, and other contributors.
+#
+# Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining
+# a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the
+# "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including
+# without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish,
+# distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to
+# permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to
+# the following conditions:
+#
+# The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be
+# included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+#
+# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,
+# EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
+# MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND
+# NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE
+# LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION
+# OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
+# WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
+
+# stop on error
+set -e
+VERSION="$1"
+
+case "$VERSION" in
+  nightly)
+    BASEURL="https://julialangnightlies-s3.julialang.org/bin"
+    JULIANAME="julia-latest"
+    ;;
+  [0-9]*.[0-9]*.[0-9]*)
+    BASEURL="https://julialang-s3.julialang.org/bin"
+    SHORTVERSION="$(echo "$VERSION" | grep -Eo '^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+')"
+    JULIANAME="$SHORTVERSION/julia-$VERSION"
+    ;;
+  [0-9]*.[0-9])
+    BASEURL="https://julialang-s3.julialang.org/bin"
+    SHORTVERSION="$(echo "$VERSION" | grep -Eo '^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+')"
+    JULIANAME="$SHORTVERSION/julia-$VERSION-latest"
+    ;;
+  *)
+    echo "Unrecognized VERSION=$VERSION, exiting"
+    exit 1
+    ;;
+esac
+
+case $(uname) in
+  Linux)
+    case $(uname -m) in
+      x86_64)
+        ARCH="x64"
+        case "$JULIANAME" in
+          julia-latest)
+            SUFFIX="linux64"
+            ;;
+          *)
+            SUFFIX="linux-x86_64"
+            ;;
+        esac
+        ;;
+      i386 | i486 | i586 | i686)
+        ARCH="x86"
+        case "$JULIANAME" in
+          julia-latest)
+            SUFFIX="linux32"
+            ;;
+          *)
+            SUFFIX="linux-i686"
+            ;;
+        esac
+        ;;
+      *)
+        echo "Do not have Julia binaries for this architecture, exiting"
+        exit 1
+        ;;
+    esac
+    echo "$BASEURL/linux/$ARCH/$JULIANAME-$SUFFIX.tar.gz"
+    curl -L "$BASEURL/linux/$ARCH/$JULIANAME-$SUFFIX.tar.gz" | tar -xz
+    sudo ln -s $PWD/julia-*/bin/julia /usr/local/bin/julia
+    julia -e 'import Pkg; Pkg.add("PyCall");'
+    julia -e 'import Pkg; Pkg.Registry.update(); Pkg.add("PandaModels"); Pkg.build(); Pkg.resolve();'
+    ;;
+  Darwin)
+    if [ -e /usr/local/bin/julia ]; then
+      echo "/usr/local/bin/julia already exists, exiting"
+      exit 1
+    elif [ -e julia.dmg ]; then
+      echo "julia.dmg already exists, exiting"
+      exit 1
+    elif [ -e ~/julia ]; then
+      echo "~/julia already exists, exiting"
+      exit 1
+    fi
+    curl -Lo julia.dmg "$BASEURL/mac/x64/$JULIANAME-mac64.dmg"
+    hdiutil mount -mountpoint /Volumes/Julia julia.dmg
+    cp -Ra /Volumes/Julia/*.app/Contents/Resources/julia ~
+    ln -s ~/julia/bin/julia /usr/local/bin/julia
+    # TODO: clean up after self?
+    ;;
+  *)
+    echo "Do not have Julia binaries for this platform, exiting"
+    exit 1
+    ;;
+esac
+