Western Fuels is a not-for- profit cooperative that provides fuel purchasing services, transportation and fuel to its members

throughout the Great Plains, Rocky Mountain and Southwest regions of the United States. The association will implement Fuelworx across operations to help it manage the fuel supply chain for members, from mining and procuring fuels to transportation and distribution.

Western Fuels purchases and delivers over 17 million tons of coal each year for its members' power plants. Much of this production is low-sulfur coal mined by coal companies in the Powder River Basin, including the Dry Fork Mine which WFA manages on behalf of the Laramie River Station owners. By serving a wide variety of public power entities, ranging from rural electric generation and transmission cooperatives to municipal utilities, Western Fuels has significant expertise in managing rail transportation of coal from mines to power plants. Additionally, WFA owns and maintains over 1,600 rail cars, negotiates service contracts with rail companies, schedules loading and deliveries and provides equipment financing and leasing services.

"SunGard's Fuelworx will help us to enhance operations with new capabilities so that WFA may effectively manage an increasingly complex fuel supply chain," said Duane L. Richards, chief executive officer of WFA. "Our members will derive significant value as a result of our ability to more effectively track vendor performance, maintain appropriate inventory levels, optimize fuel purchasing decisions, create reports, and analyze fuel costs, from purchasing to delivery."

Matt Mandalinci, president of SunGard's energy business, said, "Fuelworx functionality helps organizations like Western Fuels to expand membership by delivering highly competitive services."