PR 44 05 BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, April 19, 2005 Contact: Ed Mosey | , BPA (503)-230-5131     BPA employees honored for volunteer work on Bangladesh's electrical system PORTLAND, Ore. - When Bonneville Power Administration engineer Tony Rodrigues arrived in Bangladesh more than four years ago, he found an electrical system sagging under booming demand growth. Today, he and more than 20 BPA employees will be recognized for their volunteer work to modernize and expand that nation's power infrastructure. The United States Energy Association (USEA) has given BPA its Utility Partnership Volunteers Award for 2005. The USEA, a nonprofit association of 160 public and private energy organizations, arranges partnerships between U.S. energy entities and their counterparts in developing economies. All U.S. participants volunteer for tours of duty in the host nations, expenses paid by the U.S. Agency for International Development. "We work one-on-one with utility counterparts in Bangladesh," Rodrigues said. "We share our knowledge of planning, design, maintenance, operations, system protection, reliability and ratemaking." Population and economic growth in Bangladesh has caused electricity consumption to grow at an annual rate of 6-7 percent. The World Bank and the Asian Development Bank provide funds to pay for development of needed power lines and generators. Receiving the award on behalf of BPA on Friday was Ruth Bennett, chief operating officer. Guest speakers included Samuel Bodman, secretary of Energy; Gale Norton, secretary of Interior; and James Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Submitted for distribution on 04-19-2005 at 12:26 PM

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