The Northwest Power and Conservation Council has hired Peter Cogswell, the former director of intergovernmental affairs at the Bonneville Power Administration, as its next executive director.
Cogswell will assume the position on July 7, succeeding Bill Edmonds, who stepped down as executive director in April after serving for five years with the council, according to a June 23 news release.
Council Chair Mike Milburn said in a statement that Cogswell “is an experienced leader with an impressive energy policy background who is deeply connected to the region.”
“We’re confident that Peter will be able to hit the ground running at this critical time as we ramp up our work on the next Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program and Ninth Northwest Regional Power Plan,” Milburn added.
The council is required under the Northwest Power Act “to develop a plan to ensure an adequate, efficient, economical and reliable power supply for the region.” NWPCC publishes a plan every five years, with the next plan slated for release in 2026, according to the council’s website.
Cogswell will oversee the development of the plan amid an expected sharp increase in energy demand and shifting energy priorities under President Donald Trump. (See NWPCC’s Initial Demand Forecast Sees Sharp Growth for Northwest and NWPCC Considers Trump, Data Centers in Regional Power Plan.)
For example, the council’s initial 20-year forecast found that electric vehicles and data centers could bring annual energy demand in the Pacific Northwest to 31,000 and 44,000 aMW by 2046 — up from an average of approximately 22,000 aMW during the past several years.
The council also is considering updating models used in the 2021 power plan after Trump rescinded several clean energy initiatives implemented under former President Joe Biden.
Cogswell brings decades of experience from the energy industry to the council.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Cogswell joined BPA in October 2007 and served as council liaison and the agency’s director of intergovernmental affairs until January 2022. During his time with BPA, Cogswell helped develop two of the council’s power plans.
After leaving BPA, Cogswell assumed the role of director of government and external affairs at renewable energy developer Simply Blue.
The release also notes that Cogswell worked at PacifiCorp and as deputy chief of staff and policy advisor to former Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski. While in the governor’s office, Cogswell “led efforts to adopt several early clean energy policies, including Oregon’s first renewable energy standard,” according to the release.
“I am very fortunate to have engaged extensively with the council over the course of my career,” Cogswell said in a statement. “I am excited about the opportunity to build on that experience by working with members, staff and a broad group of partners, including tribes, states, utilities and advocates, to ensure the council continues its important work in the region.”
The NWPCC is an interstate group with representatives from Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington, and works with regional partners, including the Bonneville Power Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation, as well as with FERC, to implement its plans and programs.
