Bonneville Power Administration

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is a federal agency, under the U.S. Department of Energy, that markets wholesale electrical power and operates and markets transmission services in the Pacific Northwest. BPA generates about 40 percent of the electric power used in the Northwest, and its transmission system accounts for about three-quarters of the region’s highvoltage grid. BPA is a self-funding agency, covering its expenses through the sale of power and transmission services. Customers include publicly owned and investor-owned utilities, some large industries, and sister utilities in Canada and the western United States. The revenues help BPA fulfill public responsibilities that include low-cost and reliable power and investments in energy conservation and renewable resources. BPA also funds the region’s efforts to protect and rebuild fish and wildlife populations in the Columbia River Basin. BPA is also mandated to acquire energy efficiency/conservation as the priority resource. As such, since 1980 BPA has acquired over 1,100 MW of energy efficiency resources.