FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Jan. 7, 2021                
MEDIA CONTACT: Leah Mohr, South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, (605) 773-3201 or (605) 280-4327

South Dakota PUC representatives elected to leadership positions within Southwest Power Pool

PIERRE, S.D. - South Dakota Public Utilities Commissioner Kristie Fiegen was elected to serve as president of Southwest Power Pool’s Regional State Committee (RSC) throughout 2021. The committee, which provides collective state regulatory agency input on matters of regional importance related to the development and operation of bulk electric transmission, is not new to Fiegen as she has previously held the positions of vice president, treasurer and secretary. The committee also includes retail regulatory commissioners from agencies in Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Texas.

“As the electric industry undergoes rapid change, the governing principles that guide us need to change. This is incredibly important to ensure efficient, reliable service while also assuring the best value for both SPP and South Dakota customers," said Fiegen. "Decisions made by the RSC in 2021 will continue to affect outcomes for customers for the next 20 or more years and I look forward to being part of that process.”

In addition to Fiegen’s participation with the group, South Dakota PUC Advisor Greg Rislov was selected 2021 chairperson of the Cost Allocation Working Group (CAWG), a group tasked with supporting the Regional State Committee headed by Fiegen. Rislov began working at the PUC in 1976 and has vast experience supporting the commission and representing the interests of South Dakotans within the utility industry.

“I intend to put my experience to work assisting Commissioner Fiegen and the other RSC and CAWG members as SPP considers major revisions which affect SPP members, and ultimately their retail customers,” Rislov stated.

Fiegen and Rislov have been involved with SPP since 2015 when the Western Area Power Administration, Heartland Consumers Power District, and Basin Electric Power Cooperative, owners of the transmission system formerly known as the Integrated System (IS), voluntarily elected to join Southwest Power Pool in October of that year.

Southwest Power Pool is a regional transmission organization mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure reliable supplies of power, adequate transmission infrastructure and competitive wholesale electricity prices on behalf of its members. The organization manages the electric grid across 17 central and western U.S. states and provides energy services on a contract basis to customers in both the Eastern and Western Interconnections. In total, SPP includes more than 800 generating plants and over 66,000 miles of high voltage transmission lines. As a result of the services SPP provides, a typical residential customer using 1,000 kWh of electricity saves approximately $7.63 per month on their energy bill.

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MEDIA NOTE: Download photos of Commissioner Kristie Fiegen and Commission Advisor Greg Rislov at https://puc.sd.gov/2021/SPPLeadership.aspx