Western Area Power Administration
Western Area Power Administration, or WAPA, is a federal agency under the Department of Energy that markets and delivers reliable, hydroelectric power and transmission services.
WAPA manages and maintains a 15-state, high-voltage transmission network serving more than 680 utility customers – municipalities, public power cooperatives and state and federal agencies, among others – which in turn provide power to 40 million Americans.
WAPA is critical to keeping the lights on for communities across the West and Great Plains. Our work ensures affordable energy reaches millions of people while supporting grid reliability and national security.
Key Functions of WAPA
Power Marketing
Bring electric power to market – at wholesale, cost-based rates – to preference customers spanning from the California coast to Minnesota and from the northern reaches of Montana to the Texas panhandle.
Investment Recovery
Recover federal investments in power generation and transmission infrastructure through power transmission rate-setting and rate collection, at net-zero cost to taxpayers.
Power Transmission
Maintain a highly reliable, resilient high-voltage transmission system that powers communities, local economies and more than 25 military installations and research institutions.
WAPA’s $1.4 billion operational budget is funded entirely through power and transmission rates, with no impact on taxpayers.
Power Transmission
Each year, WAPA transmits around 25,000 gigawatt hours of electricity across its more than 17,000 circuit mile transmission system. This power comes from 57 hydropower plants operated by the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the International Boundary and Water Commission. Together, these powerplants have an installed capacity of more than 10 gigawatts.
In addition, WAPA operates four control centers within regional balancing authorities. Operations staff in our balancing authority areas ensure that power system supply and demand always stay balanced. This maintains stable and safe operation of the grid.
Power Marketing
WAPA markets power under marketing plans specific to each hydropower project. Developed through an extensive public engagement process, each plan generally covers a 30-year period. WAPA’s marketing plans specify the conditions for when, how and to whom WAPA will sell power, and they lead to long-term contracts with preference customers.
We set power rates annually for each hydropower project to recover all our costs plus those of the generating agencies’ hydropower-related activities. Power revenues cover the federal government’s upfront investment in power generation and transmission facilities (with interest).
Working with WAPA
For
Customers
Customer Data Site
Data organized by SLCA-IP, Parker/Davis, and Boulder Canyon projects
For Federal, Congressional and Regulatory Interests
The Source
Find recent operational data and financial information in one convenient location.
For
Businesses
Doing Business with WAPA
Learn more about how WAPA procures services, supplies and equipment.
Latest News
Access key topics affecting WAPA’s mission and services.
Our Regions
WAPA employees conduct power sales, transmission operations, and maintenance and engineering services across 55 duty stations in five regions. They ensure the U.S. electric grid remains stable, military bases stay operational and communities across the West and Great Plains receive reliable power.
Employees in our Headquarters office in Lakewood, Colorado, provide critical support to keep the power flowing – procuring tools and equipment, creating engineering designs, negotiating rights-of-way, managing landowner relationships, securing funding, selling power, and much more.
WAPA’s Customers
WAPA sells firm and non-firm wholesale electric power to more than 680 preference customers, including cities and towns, Native American tribes, rural electric cooperatives, public utilities, irrigation districts, and federal and state agencies. WAPA’s preference utility customer program is part of the organization’s mandate to provide cost-based federal hydropower.
For more information visit the Customers page >
Career Opportunities at WAPA
Public safety, economic growth and national security all depend on a reliable electricity grid. WAPA employees ensure that the U.S. electric grid remains stable, that military bases remain operational and that communities across the West and Great Plains receive reliable power.
Keeping pace with today’s fast-growing power needs – for data centers and other domestic industries – depends on a stable and highly skilled workforce. To meet this challenge, WAPA offers once-in-a-lifetime career opportunities for those who are mission-driven and inspired by a commitment to public service.
WAPA employs professionals across a wide range of disciplines including electric craftworkers, engineers, safety specialists, attorneys, dispatchers, analysts, project managers, procurement officers, and energy and finance experts. Come help us keep the lights on for 40 million Americans and apply today.
To learn more about working at WAPA visit our Jobs and Careers page >
WAPA career opportunities are found at USAJOBS [usajobs.gov]
Last modified on October 22nd, 2025