GridPoint Appoints Electric Energy Industry Veteran Louis Szablya to Lead Utility Division
GridPoint, Inc., a leading clean tech company whose smart grid platform benefits electric utilities, consumers and the environment, announced the appointment of Louis Szablya as Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Utility Division, during GridWeek 2007 this week at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Szablya has overall responsibility for the sales and delivery of the GridPoint SmartGrid Platform™, which will be showcased at the conference, a gathering of electric grid modernization leaders.
Szablya has worked for over 28 years in the electric energy industry and has extensive experience in electric and gas utility plant and system operations, engineering, marketing, business planning and assessment, mergers and acquisitions, financial analysis, wholesale power marketing, and general management. Szablya played a key role in the startup of five electric wholesale power marketers: Citigroup Global Commodities, El Paso Merchant Energy, Entergy Power Marketing, Electric Clearinghouse (now Dynergy), and Washington Water Power Wholesale Marketing.
“Louis’ experience with virtually every aspect of the power industry will be invaluable to our company’s growth in the electric utility market,” said Peter L. Corsell, President and CEO of GridPoint. “We are exceptionally pleased to welcome him to GridPoint.”
Prior to joining GridPoint, Szablya served as Citigroup Director, Global Commodities, with a primary focus in electricity and natural gas structured transactions throughout North America and was also the internal expert on the Pacific Northwest Hydroelectric System. From 1998 through 2002, Szablya was a Senior Vice President at El Paso Merchant Energy, focusing on mergers and acquisitions. There he contributed to the acquisition of $300 million in electric generation companies and assets, creating $60 million in value and increasing the company’s energy generation ownership from about 250 megawatts to about 7,000 megawatts.
During the mid-1990s, Szablya served as Director of Western Electric Marketing for Entergy, during a time when the company grew from a startup to one of the top 10 U.S. power marketers. He spent over 15 years at Washington Water Power Company (now Avista Utilities), where he was responsible for the installation of the utility’s first SCADA system. As an independent consultant, Szablya assisted in the development of two 500-megawatt power plants and provided merger and acquisition support to clients. He has been active in the electric power market organization WSPP, serving on the operating and executive committees.
“I’m delighted to be working with an innovator like GridPoint as utilities look to embrace Smart Grid technologies,” said Szablya. “GridPoint’s platform provides an intelligent network that enables utilities to leverage assets at the edge of the grid to deliver power in an efficient and environmentally beneficial manner.”
GridPoint SmartGrid Platform is the only intelligent energy management platform that aligns the interests of utilities, consumers and the environment. Unlike any other intelligent clean tech solution, it offers electric utilities supply-side management, demand-side management, renewable energy integration and environmental stewardship. The platform offers an intelligent network that integrates energy storage technologies, load measurement and control devices, and renewable energy sources at the edge of the grid. Utilities gain real-time, direct control to manage peak periods as well as balance supply and demand in an economical, scaleable and environmentally beneficial manner.
Recently GridPoint also welcomed Steve Hauser, a nationally recognized leader in clean tech and smart grid technologies, as Vice President of Strategy, Utility Division. Hauser, who also serves as Executive Director of the GridWise Alliance, is responsible for creating new markets and partnerships to accelerate the long-term growth of GridPoint.
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About GridPoint
GridPoint, Inc., a leading clean tech company, is the pioneer of an innovative smart grid platform that aligns the interests of electric utilities, consumers and the environment. GridPoint SmartGrid Platform™ offers utilities direct control of an intelligent network that integrates energy storage technologies, load measurement and control devices, and renewable energy sources at the edge of the grid. The platform provides utilities with supply management, demand management and renewable energy integration solutions to efficiently balance supply and demand. Utilities can deploy stored power during peak periods, reduce customers’ peak loads, optimize existing baseload generation assets and relieve stress on transmission and distribution (T&D) lines. For consumers, GridPoint’s platform provides protection from power outages, increases energy efficiency and integrates renewable energy, paving the way for the commercial success of solar and wind energy sources. On the Net: www.gridpoint.com.