“Dealing with the Energy Crises by Reducing Demand”
Paul E. Norman
Senior Vice President, Power Business Line, Bonneville Power Association

In April of 2001, BPA was faced with the possibility of raising wholesale rates to Northwest utilities and large industries by 250 to 300 percent. High market prices were the reason. BPA knew that it had to limit its exposure to the market if it was going to get the rate increase down to double digits. In less than two months, using an aggressive load reduction strategy, BPA — with the tremendous cooperation from the region and a major contribution from the aluminum industry — reduced the rate increase to 46 percent.

Paul E. Norman is Senior Vice President of the Bonneville Power Administration and heads its Power Business Line. Mr. Norman is responsible for the generation, marketing and sale of power. The Power Business Line produces revenues of about $2 billion per year from the sale of about 11,000 average megawatts of power.

His prior position was Vice President for Power Sales and Account Services. In that position, he was responsible for all power marketing, power rates, power billing, contracts and the three sales divisions — the Western Area Business Office, the Eastern Area Business Office and the Bulk Sales Office.

Before becoming the Vice President, Mr. Norman was Bonneville’s segment manager responsible for all sales and contracts business with the Agency’s large, public utility generating utilities. Among the utilities in this segment are Seattle City Light, Tacoma City Light, Eugene Water and Electric Board, etc. Mr. Norman managed BPA’s “Competitiveness Project” which lead to the Agency’s first downsizing and its more customer-focused organization and policies. Before that, he managed the Agency’s economic analyses for generating projects, including the mothballed Washington Nuclear Power plants 1 & 3 and the Trojan nuclear plant. He also managed the economic analyses of Bonneville’s large energy conservation programs.

Mr. Norman also served as the Assistant Director of Power Supply for the Agency. Prior to joining Bonneville in 1982, he was an economist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers working on various power, navigation and flood control projects in the Northwest.

A native of Maryland, Mr. Norman studied at the University of Vermont, University of Maryland and Western Washington University. He received a Bachelors Degree in Environmental Planning and did graduate work in economics at Portland State University.

Other keynote presentations by the world leaders in the energy arena will include the following:

“The Perspective and Affects of Energy and Industry”
Brett Wilcox
President and Owner, Golden Northwest Aluminum, Inc.

“Dealing with the Energy Crises by Reducing Demand”
Paul E. Norman
Senior Vice President, Power Business Line, Bonneville Power Association

“Energy Policy Position of the Aluminum Association”
Robin King
Vice President Public Affairs, The Aluminum Association

“Aluminum and Energy--an International Perspective”
Daniel Gagnier
Senion Vice President, Corporate and External Affairs, Alcan Inc.

“New and Emerging Technologies”
Gary L. McVay
Deputy Associate Laboratory Director Energy Sciences and Technology Division Pacific Northwest National Laboratory