Sierra Pacific Resources
Contact: Robert Sagan or Karl Walquist
Phone: (775)834-4834 or (775)834-3891

For Immediate Release

Mark A. Ruelle has been named by Sierra Pacific Resources as senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer. He will be joining the company on March 1. Ruelle will also fill these same positions for Sierra Pacific Power Co., the utility subsidiary of Sierra Pacific Resources. The company's financial divisions had been headed by Malyn K. Malquist until last fall, when Malquist was promoted to be principal operations officer for Sierra Pacific Power Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SPR.

Ruelle was most recently the President of Westar Energy, a $200 million subsidiary of Western Resources, Inc. of Topeka, Kansas. Westar Energy is engaged in gas marketing, utility construction services, performance contracting and water treatment.

Ruelle joined Western Resources over 10 years ago and had served in numerous executive positions in finance, development and strategic planning before becoming the Westar Energy president in 1996.

He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in economics from the University of North Dakota and has served as an adjunct professor of economics at Washburn University.

Ruelle is married and has three children. He and his family plan to relocate to the Reno area.

Sierra Pacific Chairman, President and CEO Walter M. Higgins expressed his pleasure at attracting a talent of Ruelle's caliber."We know Mark will be a tremendous asset in helping to advance Sierra Pacific's capability to compete effectively in the fast changing energy business," he said.