FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2019
CONTACT: Lisa Meiman, mediarelations@wapa.gov, 720-962-7411
LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Sonja Anderson has been named Western Area Power Administration’s new senior vice president and Sierra Nevada Regional Manager.
Anderson assumes the position May 12, though she has been acting in the regional manager position since Jan. 20.
“Sonja’s extensive knowledge, leadership abilities and understanding of Sierra Nevada and Central Valley Project issues will help support the continued viability of CVP hydropower in partnership with customers and the Bureau of Reclamation,” said Administrator and CEO Mark A. Gabriel. “I am confident, under Sonja’s leadership, that SN will be able to create even more benefits from participating in the California energy environment.”
As regional manager, she leads more than 190 Federal employees and 50 contractors in marketing and delivering reliable, cost-based Federal hydropower from the Central Valley and Washoe projects to millions of consumers in northern and central California.
SN operates and maintains a network of 1,500 miles of high-voltage transmission lines ranging from 69 to 500 kilovolts. The region also maintains ownership rights to capacity in the Pacific AC Intertie, Path 15 and the California-Oregon Transmission Project, and is located in the Balancing Authority of Northern California’s control area.
“It has always been my passion to work with SN staff and customers on many complex state, environmental, marketing and transmission issues,” said Anderson. “I am excited to be in a role where I can contribute even more to the mission, our employees and the customers of this region and WAPA.”
Anderson has more than 30 years of experience in the water and power industry at WAPA and Reclamation. She has worked in several departments at WAPA since joining the organization in 2001, including leading Information Technology, Power Marketing and Transmission System and Asset Management.
Before she was acting regional manager, Anderson was SN’s VP of Transmission System Asset Management, which involved overseeing 90 engineers, craft and other specialists as they maintained 1,500 miles of transmission lines, 25 substations and 30 microwave communication sites.
Anderson also served as SN’s VP of Power Marketing from 2007-2018, supervising and managing 45 people responsible for energy resource acquisition, portfolio management, prescheduling, real-time merchant operations, power and transmission rate setting, customer billing and settlements, contract development and collaborating with customers.
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About WAPA: Western Area Power Administration annually markets and transmits more than 25,000 gigawatt-hours of clean, renewable power from 57 federal hydroelectric powerplants owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and International Boundary and Water Commission in 15 western and central states. It is part of the Department of Energy. Follow us on Twitter @WesternAreaPowr or visit the website at www.wapa.gov.
Last modified on September 12th, 2023