Nuclear Energy Industry Transitions

Charles Yulish, vice president of corporate communications for USEC Inc., will retire on Sept. 23. Yulish has been USEC's principal spokesperson since he joined the company in 1995.

John Welch will be joining USEC as president and chief executive officer on Oct. 3. He will also become a member of the board of directors. James Mellor, the current president and CEO, will remain the company's chairman.

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lisa Gordon-Hagerty will be leaving USEC, the company announced Sept. 9.

These changes come on the heels of USEC's Sept. 7 announcement that it will realign the company to focus on both current operations and the American Centrifuge, USEC's next-generation uranium enrichment technology.

The restructuring is designed to streamline USEC's organization and resize its headquarters operations, Mellor said. The reorganization affects all levels, eliminating various positions - including those at the senior level - effectinretirementsts and transferring selected functions and activities.

The new senior management team will include Robert Van Namen (senior vice president, uranium enrichment), Philip Sewell (senior vice president, American Centrifuge), Ellen Wolf (senior vice president and chief financial officer), Timothy Hansen (senior vice president, general counsel and secretary) and Lance Wright (senior vice president, human resources and administration).

Elsewhere, Richard Truly has been elected to Xcel Energy Inc.'s board of directors. Truly, a retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral, was director director of the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory from 1997 until his retirement this year.

Brian Storms has been named chairman and CEO of Marsh Inc., a risk and insurance services firm, effective immediately.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has named Mark Cox senior resident inspector at Entergy Indian Point 2 nuclear power plant in Buchanan, N.Y.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy Environment Energy Politics Technology Economics

Comments

Activists' Claims Distort Facts about Advanced Reactor Design

Below is from our rapid response team . Yesterday, regional anti-nuclear organizations asked federal nuclear energy regulators to launch an investigation into what it claims are “newly identified flaws” in Westinghouse’s advanced reactor design, the AP1000. During a teleconference releasing a report on the subject, participants urged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to suspend license reviews of proposed AP1000 reactors. In its news release, even the groups making these allegations provide conflicting information on its findings. In one instance, the groups cite “dozens of corrosion holes” at reactor vessels and in another says that eight holes have been documented. In all cases, there is another containment mechanism that would provide a barrier to radiation release. Below, we examine why these claims are unwarranted and why the AP1000 design certification process should continue as designated by the NRC. Myth: In the AP1000 reactor design, the gap between the shield bu...

What Happens During a Refueling Outage?

You may have noticed over the past few weeks that a number of nuclear plants are shut down for refueling outages or are resuming operations after just returning from one. This type of routine outage usually occurs in the spring or fall when electricity demand is low so that nuclear reactors can replace about one-third of the spent fuel rods with new fuel and conduct other routine maintenance and repairs at the plant. To get a better sense of how refueling works at a nuclear energy facility, I spoke with Marcus Nichol, NEI’s senior project manager for used fuel storage and transportation, and asked him to explain the basics. Why does a nuclear plant need to replace one-third of its fuel? Nichol: The main purpose of a refueling outage is to replace older fuel that is depleted—meaning it can no longer efficiently produce energy from nuclear fission reactions—with new fuel. This “used fuel” has typically been used in the reactor for four-and-a-half to six years before it is pe...

How Much Land Does Nuclear, Wind and Solar Really Need?

Not too long ago, we reviewed a report that looked at nuclear energy (and other energy sources) as biodiversity agents. This had to do, in part, with the amount of land a facility needs to function. Nuclear energy and fossil fuel plants use relatively little, wind farms and solar arrays quite a lot of land . Based on an objective and transparent analysis of our sustainable energy choices, we have come to the evidence-based conclusion that nuclear energy is a good option for biodiversity conservation (and society in general) and that other alternatives to fossil fuels should be subjected to the same cost–benefit analyses (in terms of biodiversity and climate outcomes, as well as sociopolitical imperatives) before accepting or dismissing them. Writer Barry Brook, who collected 75 scientists to endorse his paper, is interested in land use as it impacts flora and fauna. Biodiversity concerns do not get as much play as they might – and, when they do, it annoys many when land is withdraw...

NEI Nuclear Notes

Search This Blog