The Partners at WRA
Whitfield Russell / Stephen Flanagan / Antoine Gamarra
Whitfield Russell
Whitfield A. Russell is an Electrical Engineer and President of Whitfield A. Russell and Associates, P.C., a corporate partner of Whitfield Russell Associates. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maine at Orono, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
Mr. Russell is experienced in electric production and transmission planning, production and transmission operation, electric utility coordination services, power market analysis, ratemaking, and contract negotiation. Mr. Russell has been qualified as an expert witness in 27 states (and the District of Columbia) and has testified in more than 100 proceedings before state and federal Courts, Public Service Commissions, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and other administrative agencies. Mr. Russell has written and spoken extensively on matters relating to regulated electric utilities and competition between regulated and non-regulated electric suppliers.
From 1972 to 1976, Mr. Russell served as Engineer and subsequently as Chief Engineer, at the Division of Corporate Regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Division administers the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935.
From 1971 to 1972, Mr. Russell was on the staff of the Federal Power Commission. He served as a consultant to staff attorneys in proceedings, and as an expert witness in an administrative proceeding before the Atomic Energy Commission. From 1969 to 1971, Mr. Russell served as an Associate Engineer in the System Planning Division of the Potomac Electric Power Company. At PEPCO, he conducted system studies of load flows and stability. He was also a member of numerous study groups concerned with planning and operation of the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection.
Selected Independent Power Experience
Has assisted Destec's power marketing efforts in Texas, Wisconsin, Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, and in other places. Duties have included directing research to determine market needs and prices, determining transmission availability, determining availability of utility coordination services, and participation in direct marketing efforts.
Currently working with Mission Energy to secure transmission access for the output from two projects under favorable terms and conditions.
Currently working with large Gulf coast industrial user/generator to optimize electric power planning, minimize power supply costs, and negotiate optimal power supply relationship with local electric utility.
Performed market review and analysis for Exxon to develop the availability of markets with a need for power expected to be available, the prices which such markets were used to paying, and the availability of transmission access to such markets.
Worked for Cyprus Minerals in Minnesota to negotiate sale of power to NSP and to arrange transmission of such power across the MP&L system. Subsequently, supported efforts by Cyprus to sell generation facilities to NSP by providing negotiation services.
Supported efforts by a consortium lead by the Wing Group to purchase and resell an independent power facility in Virginia. Performed cost and feasibility analyses and helped design the final offer.
Worked for Phibro in Texas to address problems the firm was having with HL&P regarding the phase-in of inside-the-fence capacity and a phase out of purchases from HL&P, and the supply of back-up services.
Has testified on behalf of Destec in Texas regarding the availability and pricing of services needed by independent producers, such as transmission and coordination services, including reactive power, load following, back-up power, inadvertent interchange, scheduling and dispatch, and control area operations.
Stephen P. Flanagan
Stephen P. Flanagan, a Partner with Whitfield Russell Associates, is an economist, computer simulation software author, and database designer. He has been involved in public utility issues for over 25 years. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree, with honors, from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, and has completed coursework in the Masters program in Agricultural & Resource Economics at the University of Maryland. He has also completed graduate courses in econometrics and time series analysis.
Mr. Flanagan has developed analytic models used in the evaluation of public utility regulatory issues. He has authored numerous software programs including: The Electric Utility Simulation Model (EUSiM), an integrated production cost, maintenance scheduling and capacity expansion program with enhanced report writing features; The WAPA Allocation Model (WAM), an integrated database and energy allocation program to optimize the use of Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) power for the State of South Dakota; and The Northwest Intertie Simulation Software (NISS), a model designed to simulate the impacts of alternative Intertie access policies upon the power costs for municipal and investor owned utilities in the State of California. His models have been used to support the testimony of other expert witnesses and as the basis for filings before State and Federal regulators.
Mr. Flanagan has also developed computer programs which analyze incremental pricing policies, supply and demand for natural gas and petroleum products, and electric load analysis. He has contributed to several reports prepared for governmental agencies, has co-authored articles appearing in energy-related publications, and has testified in federal and state proceedings.
Recent assignments have included participation in issues related to the design of transmission rates in California, the proper treatment of Existing Transmission Contracts during the transition to RTO formation, the allocation of power from Federal hydro projects, renewable energy resource interconnection policies and the investigation of competitive issues related to wholesale power sales.
Prior to his current affiliation with Whitfield Russell Associates, Mr. Flanagan was Vice President of Utility Resources, Inc., an economic consulting firm which he helped to found in Salem, Oregon. Prior to that, he was an Economist and Computer Specialist for H. Zinder & Associates, a public utility consulting firm specializing in natural gas issues. Previously, he served as an Economist with the Federal Energy Administration and the US Department of Energy and as a computer information specialist at Aspen Systems, Inc.
Antoine A. Gamarra
Antoine A. Gamarra is a Partner at Whitfield Russell Associates. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from San Jose State University.
Mr. Gamarra is experienced in load resource modeling, production cost modeling, cost/benefit modeling, loss of load probability modeling, rate case issues, cost of service studies, rate design, tariff development, EWG applications, transmission rate development and avoided cost filings. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Gamarra was a Utility Engineer for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). He testified and participated in numerous rate cases. Mr. Gamarra developed the current Working Cash practice used by the CPUC for small water utilities. While at the CPUC, Mr. Gamarra attended numerous seminars such as: Mergers and Acquisitions in the Utility Industry; Rate of Return and the Cost of Capital; Spot Gas and the Electric Generation Market; U.S. Natural Gas Industry; Marginal Pricing in the Utility Industry; and the Utility Ratemaking seminar co-sponsored by the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC).
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Gamarra was a Patent Examiner on electro-mechanical switching for the U.S. Patent Office and a Mechanical Engineer for the San Jose Trolley Corporation.