Bonneville Power Names New Chief Operating Officer, Responsible For Environment, Fish And Wildlife

The Bonneville Power Administration has chosen Joel Cook to be its new chief operating officer. As COO, Cook will be responsible for the agency’s Power and Transmission services, as well as its Environment, Fish and Wildlife and Customer Support Services organizations.

Cook has served as BPA’s senior vice president of Power Services since June 2017. Cook began his new position April 25. 

“As the head of Power Services, Joel has been on the front lines of our cost-control efforts,” said Administrator and CEO John Hairston. “His leadership and experience will serve the agency and our utility customers well as we explore new energy markets and look for opportunities to maximize the value of the federal power and transmission systems.”

As COO, Cook will be responsible for the agency’s Power and Transmission services, as well as its Environment, Fish and Wildlife and Customer Support Services organizations. He will also oversee the Business Transformation Office and play a critical role in BPA’s sustained focus on disciplined cost-containment, grid modernization and customer responsiveness. Cook’s focus as COO will be on enhancing BPA’s competitiveness as the agency approaches negotiations for new long-term wholesale power contracts with its 142 Northwest electric utility customers.

“I am very excited to take on this role,” Cook said. “I look forward to building on the continuous improvement of our business operations and working closely with customers, employees and stakeholders in providing safe, reliable and cost-effective service.”

As the senior vice president of Power Services, Cook was responsible for the acquisition and sales of wholesale and bulk power; generation asset management of the federal hydropower system and one nonfederal nuclear plant; energy efficiency; and management of wholesale power contracts and rates.

Suzanne Cooper has been named BPA’s new senior vice president of Power Services and will step into the role as Cook becomes COO. Cooper has been a member of BPA’s Power Services management team for 17 years.

Cook came to BPA from Talen Energy in Allentown, Pennsylvania, one of the largest independent power producers in the U.S. Prior to that, he worked in various roles for PPL, a large electric and gas utility based in the Northeast. Cook began his career with the Montana Power Company and has spent his entire career in the energy and electric utility industry. Cook has a Master of Business Administration from the University of Montana and a Bachelor of Science in petroleum engineering from the Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology.

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