Nuclear Energy Industry Transitions

Maryellen Herringer has been elected to the boards of directors of PG&E Corp. and its utility unit, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. PG&E Corp. also named Rand Rosenberg senior vice president of corporate strategy and development.

DTE Energy has announced a series of organizational changes:

• Gerard Anderson, who has been president since 2004, also will become DTE Energy’s chief operating officer.
• Skiles Boyd has been appointed DTE Energy’s vice president of environmental affairs. He previously was director of environmental management and resources.
• Robert Buckler, former group president of Energy Distribution, has been named president and chief operating officer of subsidiary Detroit Edison.
• Stephen Ewing is the company’s new vice chairman. He formerly was group president of DTE Energy Gas.
• Steven Kurmas has transitioned from senior vice president of distribution operations to executive vice president of Detroit Edison.
• Jerry Norcia has been named executive vice president of MichCon.
• Robert Richard has been promoted from vice president to senior vice president of Detroit Edison.

Santee Cooper also has made a number of organizational changes:

• William “Glen” Brown is Santee Cooper’s new vice president of human resources management. He has been with the company 27 years and currently is corporate secretary and community relations manager. Brown replaces Ronald Holmes, who will retire Dec. 31.
• Thomas Kierspe will become vice president of engineering and construction services. He has been with Santee Cooper for 22 years, most recently as manager of generation projects. Kierspe replaces Byron Rodgers Jr., who will retire Dec. 31.
• Pamela Williams will replace Brown as corporate secretary and also will continue her role as associate general counsel for corporate affairs, a position she has held since 2001.

The Shaw Group has named Brockie Hall vice president for strategic resources. Hall has extensive recruiting experience in the engineering and construction industry.

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