FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 8, 2002

CONTACT: Nancy Marquardt, 720-962-7054, nmarquardt@wapa.gov

Western Area Power Administration employees were honored July 16 by Under Secretary for Energy, Science and Environment Robert Card for their work on the Path 15 project. Card presented awards to more than 30 Western employees at an afternoon meeting in Lakewood, Colo. Following the award presentations, Card spoke to a crowd of 275 Federal and contract employees and answered questions posed by the audience.

Path 15-a model

The Under Secretary expressed his appreciation for Western's role in moving the Path 15 project forward. Western and its Path 15 partners will break ground on the project in summer 2003 and expect project completion by fall 2004.

In response to a May 2001 directive by Energy Secretary Abraham, Western put together a public-private partnership to resolve the long-standing congestion problem along Path 15. On June 13, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a Letter Agreement setting out cost recovery and incentive proposals for a $306 million upgrade to California's constrained Path 15 transmission line.

The California Independent System Operator Board of Directors voted to accept the Path 15 upgrade as part of the ISO-controlled grid on June 25. In addition to Western, the upgrade project is being carried out by Trans-Elect Inc, and Pacific Gas and Electric Co.

In his remarks Card said, "Because of the success of the Path 15 project, it's likely to become the blueprint or model for future transmission capital improvements on the nation's power grid."

Earlier in the day Card met with Western senior managers and toured Western's Electric Power Training Center. Of his EPTC tour the Under Secretary commented, "I would have hated to come all this way and miss this. This EPTC is an important, educational gift to the nation."

Western markets and transmits reliable, low-cost electric power, provides related services and encourages energy efficient management in an environmentally sound manner. Western's service area covers 1.3 million square miles in 15 western states. It is part of the Department of Energy.