CONTACT: Lisa Meiman, 720-962-7411, mediarelations@wapa.gov

LAKEWOOD, Colorado – Western Area Power Administration is celebrating 40 years of service to its customers today—the anniversary of its official designation as WAPA.

For the past 40 years, WAPA has supplied about 680 municipal utilities, state and federal agencies, Native American tribes and rural electric cooperatives with clean, renewable, reliable, cost-based federal hydroelectric power and related services, which, in turn, provide energy to more than 40 million Americans in 15 central and western states.

"It is an enormous responsibility and privilege to provide these services to our customers. The wholesale hydropower we market supports low electricity rates in the entire footprint, helping communities and businesses thrive in the rural U.S.," said Administrator and CEO Mark A. Gabriel. "We are also entrusted with $4.3 billion in critical energy infrastructure, which is key to the reliability of the Western Interconnection."

The energy industry has changed dramatically since the 1970s oil crisis that gave rise to both WAPA and the Department of Energy through the Energy Organization Act of 1977. Over the years, WAPA's professional staff, in partnership with its customers, successfully responded to multiple pieces of new energy legislation, navigated the energy crisis in California and adopted several technological advances that fundamentally changed the way the energy industry operates.

Under Strategic Roadmap 2024, WAPA will continue to work with customers to anticipate and respond to changes in the rapidly evolving industry, including markets, renewable energy and increased threats in cyber and physical grid security, to ensure it continues to meet its mission in the energy frontier.

​"Although the electric utility industry is changing rapidly and evolving in a way never before seen, WAPA's critical and noble mission remains the same," said Gabriel. "We help keep the lights on for 40 million Americans. Our Strategic Roadmap 2024 and the partnerships we have today with our customers and the Department of Energy will ensure WAPA remains valuable for years to come."

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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.​​