The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has chosen Bill Drummond to replace Steve Wright as the Bonneville Power Administration's (BPA) administrator.
Drummond will be responsible for managing the agency, which markets carbon-free power from Columbia River hydroelectric dams and the region's one nuclear plant. BPA also operates most of the surrounding power grid, distributing wind and other energy to the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Drummond currently serves as BPA's deputy administrator – a role he has held since October 2011 – and has worked in the energy industry for over 30 years. In addition to his responsibilities as deputy, he oversaw the agency's general counsel, as well as its compliance and governance, risk management, internal audit, public affairs, finance, and corporate strategy functions.
Before joining BPA, Drummond was manager of the Western Montana Electric Generating and Transmission Cooperative in Missoula, Mont., for 17 years. From 1988 to 1994, he led the Public Power Council, an association of all Northwest publicly owned utilities.
"The leadership of BPA is critically important because America's continued global competitiveness in the 21st century will be significantly affected by whether we can efficiently produce and distribute electricity to businesses and consumers, seamlessly integrating new technologies and new sources of power," says DOE Secretary Steven Chu. "I look forward to working with Bill Drummond to help lead BPA's transition to a more flexible, resilient and reliable electric grid, and establish much greater coordination among system operators in partnership with its customers."
