The Trump administration has appointed a power industry veteran to lead the massive hydropower distribution agency in the Pacific Northwest at a turbulent time for the electricity market.
The Department of Energy announced Monday that Travis Kavulla will be named administrator of the Oregon-based Bonneville Power Administration. That will put Kavulla, a former Montana utility regulator, in charge of the power marketing agency responsible for about a third of the Northwest’s electric power, which largely comes from a fleet of hydroelectric dams.
Kavulla comes to the role from the Texas-based home battery company Base Power, where he serves as the company’s head of policy. Kavulla is also a prolific online poster who has written extensive essays and policy proposals in favor of competitive electricity markets and market-based solutions to power issues, including a proposal published in May about how to bring data centers to the grid.
“Travis Kavulla’s extensive experience in the energy sector will strengthen Bonneville’s ongoing efforts to expand and modernize energy infrastructure and ensure regional grid reliability,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement.
