Paul T. Champagne , who has served as vice president and senior development officer for PP&L Global, Inc. for the past four years, was named the company's president Tuesday (4/27). Also, Roger Petersen was named chief executive officer of the company's PP&L Montana subsidiary.

Paul T. Champagne

Roger Petersen

Champagne replaces Robert D. Fagan, who is stepping down from PP&L Global to become president and chief executive officer of Florida-based TECO Energy, Inc. PP&L Global is the worldwide development subsidiary of PP&L Resources, Inc. (NYSE:PPL).

William F. Hecht, chairman, president and chief executive officer of PP&L Resources, said Fagan has done an outstanding job in establishing PP&L Global as a major player in the international energy field.

"When we brought Bob Fagan to PP&L Resources in 1994, we expected great things from the organization that he was hired to build. PP&L Global, under his leadership, has significantly exceeded our high expectations," said Hecht. "While we are disappointed that Bob is leaving our organization, we are excited that he has this new opportunity. All of us at PP&L wish him well."

PP&L Global, with headquarters in Fairfax, Va., has grown to be a major domestic and international energy company under Fagan's leadership, Hecht said. PP&L Global now has investments and commitments totaling about $2.3 billion in Europe, Latin America and various U.S. locations.

PP&L Global's diversified investments include companies in the United Kingdom, Chile and El Salvador that distribute electricity to 2 million customers. The company also will play an essential role in PP&L Resources' five-year plan to more than double the size of its U.S. electricity generation portfolio to about 20,000 megawatts.

Hecht said that one of the strengths of Fagan's management at PP&L Global was the development of talented people in the organization.

"Paul Champagne has been deeply involved in virtually every key development and acquisition decision that we have made over the past several years. He was especially important in our agreement to acquire 2,600 megawatts of generation in Montana, the largest acquisition in the history of PP&L Resources," said Hecht. "For that reason and others, he is uniquely qualified to assume the leadership role at PP&L Global. We look forward to Paul further extending PP&L Global's exemplary record of success in this extremely competitive business."

Champagne, 40, joined PP&L Global after serving six years in several business-development roles at Edison Mission Energy. He served as Mission's Midwest regional manager, where he was responsible for both greenfield development and acquisitions.

Champagne earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois and has pursued graduate studies in mechanical engineering there. His appointment as PP&L Global president is effective June 1.

Hecht said that Petersen, who had been vice president and chief operating officer of PP&L Global, will assume the new chief executive officer post at PP&L Montana, LLC, which will oversee the operation of 13 Montana power plants. PP&L Global is acquiring 11 hydroelectric plants and one coal-fired plant from Montana Power Co. and a four-unit coal-fired plant from Montana Power, Portland General and Puget Sound Energy. Closing is expected by the end of this year.

Petersen, 48, also came to PP&L Global from Mission Energy, where he served as regional vice president with responsibility for engineering, construction and operation of the company's power facilities in North America. Prior to joining Mission Energy, he served as project manager for U.S. and international projects at Fluor Engineering and Constructors.

A graduate of South Dakota State University, with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, Petersen also has earned a master's degree in engineering from California Polytechnical Institute and a business-management degree from the University of California at Los Angeles.

Petersen's appointment is effective immediately.

PP&L Resources, Inc. is a Fortune 500 company based in Allentown, Pa. It also is the parent company of PP&L, Inc. , which delivers electricity to 1.3 million customers in eastern and central Pennsylvania, generates electricity, and markets wholesale energy in the United States and in Canada. Another important subsidiary is PP&L EnergyPlus Co. , which sells competitively priced energy and energy services to newly deregulated markets.