Zeltmann, NYPA President, Elected to EPRI Board
Contact Connie Cullen (914)-390-8196 connie.cullen@nypa.gov
May 10, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ALBANY—Eugene W. Zeltmann, president and chief operating officer of the New York Power Authority (NYPA), has been elected to a four-year term on the EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute) Board of Directors.
"Gene Zeltmann brings to the board valuable knowledge of the public power industry and significant expertise in the latest technologies in the electric utility industry," said Kurt Yeager, president and chief executive officer of EPRI. "We welcome Gene’s service as he will be an asset to EPRI’s mission of creating science and technology solutions for the benefit of the public and the energy industry."
Since his appointment to the Power Authority posts in September 1997, Zeltmann has provided leadership and support for a wide range of NYPA technical initiatives, including extensive cooperative efforts with EPRI. The Power Authority currently is installing the world’s most advanced transmission control device—a convertible static compensator—at its Marcy Substation near Utica as part of EPRI’s Flexible Alternating Current Transmission Systems (FACTS) program.
Over the last several years, the Power Authority and EPRI have developed ongoing partnerships in a number of areas ranging from inspecting and maintaining transmission lines to monitoring hydropower equipment to developing technologies for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions from power plants
Zeltmann has played a key role as NYPA, at the direction of Gov. George E. Pataki, has expanded its nationally recognized programs to demonstrate clean energy sources such as fuel cells, solar power and microturbines; to promote the use of electric vehicles; and to implement varied energy efficiency projects.
"I appreciate the opportunity that Governor Pataki and Power Authority Chairman Joseph Seymour have given me to be involved in these areas and now to serve on EPRI’s board," Zeltmann said. "As the competitive electricity industry grows, EPRI is in a unique position to face the new challenges head-on with its technical programs and strategic research in almost every aspect of the industry."
Zeltmann was nominated to the EPRI board by the American Public Power Association and was elected to fill a public power seat. He was also appointed by the board to its Membership and Strategic Issues Committee. He is currently co-chair of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Americas and a member of the Gas Technology Institute’s Advisory Council.
Before coming to NYPA, the nation’s largest state-owned electric utility, Zeltmann was appointed by Governor Pataki to serve as a commissioner of the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) in December 1995. He was named the PSC’s deputy chairman in 1996.
Zeltmann previously had more than 20 years of experience as an executive at General Electric, focusing on international trade, government relations, and energy and environmental issues. He served on the U.S. Industrial Sector Advisory Committee for Capital Goods from 1986 to 1996, including three terms as chairman. In this role, he was an adviser on trade issues to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. trade representatives.Zeltmann earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and political science from Beloit College, and a master’s degree and doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in physical chemistry. He and his wife, Susan, have two children and live in Clifton Park, N.Y.
EPRI, headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., was established in 1973 as a center for public interest energy and environmental research. Its collaborative science and technology development program spans nearly every area of power generation, delivery and use. More than 1,000 energy organizations and public institutions in 40 countries draw on EPRI’s global network of technical and business expertise.
As the nation’s largest state-owned power organization, the New York Power Authority owns and operates 10 power plants and about 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. It provides low-cost power to government agencies; to municipally-owned and rural cooperative electric systems; to job-producing companies and non-profit groups; to private utilities for resale—without profit—to their customers; and to neighboring states, under federal requirements. The Power Authority is also a national leader in promoting energy efficiency and the development of clean energy technologies and electric vehicles.
