FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 8, 2018
CONTACT: Lisa Meiman, mediarelations@wapa.gov, 720.962.7411


LAKEWOOD, Colorado – Today, Steve Johnson was named Western Area Power Administration’s Senior Vice President and Colorado River Storage Project Management Center Manager.
“Steve’s extensive knowledge of power system operatio ns will greatly aid CRSP MC and all of WAPA as we face changes in the way energy is dispatched locally, regionally and nationally,” said Administrator and CEO Mark A. Gabriel.
Johnson will lead all power marketing and operations activities for CRSP MC in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Energy Management and Marketing Office in Montrose, Colorado. The 42 employees at CRSP MC manage the sale, purchase, wheeling, interchange and transmission of energy between 157 customers and other utilities in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
CRSP MC includes 11 hydroelectric powerplants, more than 2,300 miles of transmission lines and 35 high-voltage transformers. On average, the powerplants produce about 5.7 billion kilowatt-hours of energy annually, which can provide 100 percent of electricity needs for an estimated 527,000 American households.
“WAPA has been great to me and invested in my career to help get me where I am today,” said Johnson. “I’m excited for this opportunity and looking forward to working with our customers and other stakeholders to ensure our valuable water resources are used efficiently and responsibly.”
CRSP MC plays an important role in protecting environmental resources around Glen Canyon Dam, representing hydropower interests and funding scientific studies for the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program. CRSP MC also implemented measures from the Glen Canyon Dam Long-Term Experimental and Management Plan Record of Decision in 2017.
Most recently, Johnson was the EMMO Manager in Montrose. He began his electric industry career as an apprentice operator at Hetch Hetchy Water and Power near his hometown of Sonora, California. Johnson joined WAPA and federal service in 2000 as a power system dispatcher.

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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.
 

Last modified on November 9th, 2023