El Paso Electric Announces New Chief Operating Officer

The El Paso Electric Board of Directors has appointed George A. Williams to serve as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer effective October 5. In that position, Williams will oversee the generation as well as the transmission and distribution operations for El Paso Electric (NYSE:EE). J. Frank Bates, who has served as EPE President and Chief Operating Officer, will continue to serve as EPE President and will assist in the transition until his retirement in March 2010.

During his 37-year tenure at El Paso Electric, Bates has served in various capacities including Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, as well as vice president of Transmission and Distribution, Operations and Customer Services. Bates has been an active supporter of numerous community and civic organizations throughout his years at EPE. He currently serves on the boards of the Sun Bowl Association, the Children’s Miracle Network and is a member of New Mexico State University’s College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council.

"We’re grateful for the more than 37 years that Frank has served El Paso Electric. His dedication and commitment to EPE, as well as his strong knowledge of its operations, will be missed and we appreciate that he has agreed to assist with the transition to a new COO,” said David Stevens, EPE Chief Executive Officer. "We’re also very pleased that George will be joining the El Paso Electric team. His extensive experience in the electric utility industry will be an asset to EPE as we plan for the future and its challenges.”

Williams has 25 years of experience in the electric utility industry. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Operations for Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation. His responsibilities at ComEd included the overall coordination of operations of the electrical transmission and distribution system, distribution maintenance and construction, new business, work management and outage and emergency response. Before joining ComEd, Williams served as Vice President of Operations at Energy Nuclear South, as General Manager of Nuclear Assurance for PPL Susquehanna, as General Manager of Plant Operations for the Southern Region of Progress Energy Company, and as Director of Corporate Planning and Analysis at PECO Energy Company.

Williams received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Widener University and a master of business administration degree from Saint Joseph’s University. He has completed the Wharton’s Executive Development Program at the University of Pennsylvania, the Leadership Development Program at the Center for Creative Leadership and Harvard University’s program for senior executives.

Williams is an active board member in several civic and professional organizations including the American Association of Blacks in Energy, the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies, the Executive Leadership Council, and Underwriters Laboratory.

El Paso Electric is a regional electric utility providing generation, transmission and distribution service to approximately 363,000 retail and wholesale customers in a 10,000 square mile area of the Rio Grande valley in west Texas and southern New Mexico. El Paso Electric has a net dependable generating capability of 1,643 MW. El Paso Electric’s common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol EE.