FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dec. 31, 1999, 11:45 p.m. MST

CONTACT: Leslie Peterson

720-962-7052 peterson@wapa.gov

Western begins the Y2K transition with no problems

LAKEWOOD, Colo.- Western's 17,000-mile transmission system across 15 western states continues to operate normally with no Y2K-related problems.

Western's Upper Great Plains Region, which lies in the Central Time Zone, successfully move through the Y2K rollover without any computer-related incidents. Western's dispatch center in Watertown, S.D., reported the region's computerized power control system detected no problems on its 7,000 miles of high-voltage transmission system. All communication systems are working normally and none of the 28 staffed facilities reported any problems.

Upper Great Plains operates in the Mid-Continent Power Pool, one of 10 regional councils across North America that oversee the reliability of the bulk power system across the continent. About half of this region is within the Central Time Zone.

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.

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