washington business
In Their Words
Formed by the state Legislature in 1957 , Energy Northwest is a joint action agency serving the needs of its public power members by providing a diverse mix of reliable , low-cost and clean electricity , as well as services and new energy resource development . This year , the agency welcomed its new CEO , Brad Sawatzke , who brings with him a tremendous body of work over more than three decades in the energy sector , a career he happily admits was started by chance when he took entry-level jobs at Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant in his home state of Minnesota to pay for college . Just settling into his new role , Sawatzke spoke with staff writer Bobbi Cussins about the important role Energy Northwest plays in securing the energy needs of the region in a way that aligns with its environmental values ; the culture of excellence he and his team improve upon every day ; and what his experience in entry-level jobs taught him about leadership .
You have an impressive biography , but can you share with our readers one interesting fact they may not know about you ?
I got started in the industry by chance . In all honesty , I did not come out of high school , as a young guy , thinking I wanted to work in the nuclear energy industry , but my home town , Monticello , has a nuclear plant . In between trying to go to college and earning some money , I ended up working as a construction laborer at Monticello [ Nuclear Generating Plant ] during one of their refueling outages . As part of that , I got to do some work for the in-house maintenance department and they offered me a starting job — a janitorial position . Having seen people there have great opportunities , I ended up taking the job and started as a janitor at the plant . I worked my way through the ranks over the years and finished college later in my career . Frankly , you learn a lot about leadership when you have a job at the bottom . It has always stuck with me what I learned about being a good leader as I was cleaning a person ’ s office simply by how they treated me , the entry-level worker .
What is Energy Northwest ’ s role in providing clean , affordable energy to Northwest employers and families ?
We ’ re proud to offer carbon-free power for our customers here in the Northwest . As part of our Energy Services Development group , we manage the Packwood Lake Hydroelectric Project . In addition to that team , we also manage additional hydro facilities , including Tieton and two facilities for the city of Portland . We also have our Nine Canyon Wind Project just south of Kennewick , where we generate about 96 megawatts of electricity . All of these are part of our “ green power ,” or carbon-free energy portfolio . Of course , the largest producer of clean energy in our agency is the Columbia Generating Station [ nuclear energy facility ]. It produces slightly over 1,200 megawatts of carbon-free electricity . The other piece that Columbia brings to the table is that it ’ s a baseload energy producer . When we talk about all the other carbonfree energy options in the Northwest — hydro , wind , solar — we ’ re at the mercy of the elements , whether the wind is blowing , the sun is shining , or how much precipitation we ’ ve received . At Columbia Generating Station , we ’ re really the sole 24 / 7 , 24-hoursa-day , seven-days-a-week facility available to provide power — clean power — to the Northwest . We see that baseload , or full-time , capability as a real niche and incredibly valuable to our customers .
Brad Sawatzke
How important is a diverse energy sector ?
It ’ s extremely important . The green footprint we have with hydro , wind and solar are certainly beneficial to the environment , but the diversity piece comes in with Columbia Generating Station and its baseload capacity to guarantee reliable energy around the clock . Diversity is also important because of all the different factors that drive production . When you get into gas-fired or coal-fired energy generation , the cost of that fuel can change . So , when you look at the overall energy mix , having that diversity , in case there ’ s a challenge with the other sources , is incredibly important .
I was listening to a radio broadcast a couple of weeks ago and I wished I could have called in . The conversation centered around a city in Texas and they were going on and on about the fact that the only power they use is from wind and solar , so nothing but clean power . As I ’ m listening , I ’ m thinking , “ that ’ s impossible .” One question that came in to the program was , “ What do you do in the middle of the night when it ’ s dark out and the wind is not blowing ?” The response was , “ Well , we overproduce during the day , so at night we get that power back .” Well , it doesn ’ t work
22 association of washington business