NEWS FROM WESTERN AREA POWER ADMINISTRATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE : May 5, 2006
CONTACT : Jennifer Neville, 720-962-7054, neville@wapa.gov
Western recognizes Loveland resident for exceptional service
LAKEWOOD , Colo. — Loveland resident Nick Klemm will receive Western Area Power Administration's highest honor at a ceremony May 9, at Western's Rocky Mountain Regional Office, in Loveland . Western's Administrator Mike Hacskaylo will present Klemm with Western's Exceptional Service Award during the ceremony.
"I congratulate Nick Klemm for making outstanding contributions to Western. Nick exemplifies the values we have outlined in our People Goal by serving his customers and peers with great dedication. His multiple accomplishments remind us of the wide reach our organization has in our industry, our service territory and our nation," Hacskaylo said.
Since beginning a Federal career with Western in 1980,Klemm has supported the Rocky Mountain Region's Technical Support Office, first as an electrical engineer, and now as the team lead for the region's Meter and Relay Engineering Support group.
He receives Western's highest honor for his expertise in system protection, helping to design the control schemes at the Virginia Smith Converter Station and solving a difficult relay problem.
Several years ago, Klemm analyzed and solved an elusive relay problem that caused several of RM's large phase-shifting transformers to trip. These transformers are very important to Western and other Western Electricity Coordinating Council utilities because they control the amount of loop flow in the interconnected power system. After discovering that the transformer differential relays couldn't filter certain switching transients, he worked with several relay manufacturers to find a product that solved the problem. He designed a replacement plan for the relays, calculated the settings, coordinated the installation and participated in the on-site check-out of the installed equipment.
In addition to his primary responsibilities, Klemm has provided engineering support for the Virginia Smith Converter Station, in Sydney , Neb. , for more than 15 years. He helped design and test the sophisticated control schemes for the facility and has remained the primary source of technical support and guidance for the facility.
Klemm's hometown is Pitman, N.J. He and his wife Anna now live in Loveland and have two children—10-year-old Erik and 9-year-old Jason. He enjoys s wide variety of sports and outdoor activities, including hiking, camping and snowshoeing.
Western Exceptional Award recipients:
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 western and central states. It is part of the Department of Energy.
Serving the West with Federal hydropower
Return to the Newsroom.