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Ken Kokkeler Retires After 18 Years of Service

January 27, 2012

In 1994, Ken Kokkeler was hired by Emerald PUD as Landfill Gas Generator Technician for EPUD’s Short Mountain Methane Power Plant. During his tenure, Kokkeler was instrumental in the generation of more than 306 million kilowatt hours, enough power to serve 1,136 homes for 17 years.

EPUD extracts naturally occurring methane from the Short Mountain Landfill through wells which deliver the landfill gas to the power plant. The gas is then filtered and piped directly into large Caterpillar 3516 gas-fired, internal-combustion engines (1,150 horsepower from 16 cylinders generating 800 KW each) and turned into electricity. Ken has maintained these engines for the last 18 years.

Kokkeler’s 28 years of experience as Equipment Mechanic and Generator Technician for Papé Cat in Eugene brought EPUD an invaluable resource that has led to many successful years at Short Mountain.  “We are grateful to have had such a dedicated, well-respected employee,” said Bill Wilson, EPUD Shop Supervisor. “Ken will be dearly missed.”

“Just like everybody else, I’ve been looking forward to retiring but I’ve found it really hard to leave,”Kokkeler stated at a recent EPUD staff event. “It says something about where you work when you love your job and the people you work with enough to just keep working.” Kokkeler looks forward to spending his newfound free time with his family and creating beautiful art in his wood shop.