FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 23, 1999

CONTACT: Leslie Peterson

303-275-1233 peterson@wapa.gov

GOLDEN, Colo.--Come Jan.1, 2000, will Western Area Power Administration customers get bitten by the millennium bug? Not likely. Western-the Federal agency that markets and transmits federal hydropower throughout much of the West has been tackling this problem since 1997. Like other utilities and cooperatives in the Watertown area, folks in Western's Upper Great Plains Region have been hard at work inventorying, fixing, replacing and testing equipment and systems potentially affected by the Year 2000 rollover.

The Y2K problem--not only at Western, but throughout the country and the world--has resulted from older computer programs that use only the last two digits of a date, such as '98 for 1998. Programmers didn't consider that when the year 2000 rolled around, those computers wouldn't know a new century had started and could shut down systems. There are also billions of computer chips with potential date problems. If not fixed, computers could read 2000 as 1900, causing havoc with almost everything imaginable--government agencies, financial institutions, health care facilities, airlines, supermarkets and much, much more.

Today, Western's systems and equipment critical to operations are Y2K compliant. Most other noncritical systems and equipment are also Y2K ready (suitable for use into the new century). A few nonessential systems, or those having good business reasons for later completion dates, will be completed well before the end of the year. According to UGP Regional Manager Jerry Wegner, "The good news is: Rigorous testing has found nothing that would seriously disrupt the power system. We expect the lights to stay on and are taking every precaution to make sure they do."

What steps has the region, and the agency as a whole, taken to address the Y2K problem? The first step was to become aware of the issue and take it seriously. The next was to inventory everything potentially affected and assess which were elements critical to operations.

This was followed by the assessment of every system, software and equipment item to determine potential date problems and plan solutions. The next step was doing the "fixes" - replacements, modifications and upgrades. After that everything had to be tested or validated.

Once individual systems are validated as compliant, integrated systems must be tested to see if together they operate properly through end-to-end testing. Now Western is developing methods and guidelines to ensure "clean" systems remain complaint through the Y2K rollover.

However, testing and validation do not guarantee problems won't arise. As added insurance, each Western region has developed a comprehensive Y2K contingency plan. These plans describe detailed strategies for dealing with loss of power and telecommunication and include staffing plans for manning key facilities during the rollover, provisions for manual operations, communication back-up links and many other issues.

Coordination with others in the power industry is a key part of contingency planning. From participating in nationwide drills to coordinating with local utilities and co-ops to working with state, county and city officials, the power industry has pulled together in an unprecedented preparedness effort. The industry consensus? Though some local disturbances are possible, widespread blackouts are unlikely to occur. As Jerry Wegner noted, "Reliability is Western's business. If a problem occurs, we have the people and resources to respond rapidly. Y2K preparedness is one of our top priorities."

For more information on Western's Y2K program look up Western's Web site at www.wapa.gov/ and click on the Y2K button.

Western Area Power Administration annually markets and transmits more than 10,000 megawatts of power from hydroelectric powerplants owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 15 central and western states.

Editor's Note--Year 2000 Readiness Disclosure Statement (in accordance with Public Law No. 105-271)