Portland, Oregon – August 6, 2025 – Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative (PNGC Power), the region’s only operational generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative, continues to expand its expertise and leadership to meet the collective needs of its 25 member cooperatives.
“Our goals and our strategies have expanded, and our staff leadership continues to expand as well,” said Jessica Matlock, President and CEO of PNGC Power. “PNGC is creating a new future of energy independence for our members, and we’re bringing in experts to help us succeed in that mission.”
PNGC Power welcomes Michael Peterson as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Kristina Fugate as PNGC Staff Attorney for Risk and Compliance.
Peterson brings more than 3 decades of energy and financial experience to PNGC Power, most recently serving as Chief Financial Officer for the US Department of Energy’s Western Area Power Administration (WAPA). During his tenure at WAPA, Peterson enhanced financial discipline and organizational maturity, increased transparency and financial reporting alignment, supported customers in resolving longstanding impediments to rate reductions, and secured more than $1 billion in supplemental and mission essential funding for the agency. Prior to his experience as CFO for government/non-profit, private equity backed, and publicly listed enterprises, Peterson worked in energy investment banking and as a commodities trader.
Fugate joins the PNGC legal team as Staff Attorney for Risk and Compliance, where she will focus on risk mitigation, grant and regulatory compliance, REC administration, and FERC issues. She brings over ten years of legal experience in energy and natural resources. Fugate is coming from the Idaho Governor’s Office of Energy and Mineral Resources where she has been working as an attorney advising on legal issues that included state and federal grant contracting and compliance. Fugate also previously worked as a Deputy Attorney General where she represented Idaho state agencies on FERC hydropower issues and several natural resource agencies such as the Idaho Oil and Gas Commission.
“Michael and Kristina bring unique experience, knowledge, and leadership to our growing team,” said Matlock. “Their expertise is crucial to our members securing the energy future that is reliable, responsible, and cost-effective.”
PNGC Power is the largest power customer of Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), serving over 431,000 meters across seven western states.
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About PNGC Power
PNGC Power is an Oregon-based electric generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative owned by 25 Northwest electric distribution cooperative utilities with service territory in seven western states (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming). The cooperative creates value for its member systems by providing power supply, transmission, and other management services. PNGC Power is an aggregator of geographically diverse loads in the region and became the first electric cooperative in the country to receive a power marketing license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.