STP Nuclear Operating Company President and CEO Dennis Koehl provides an overview of the company’s decision to rejoin the Utilities Service Alliance (USA) on Jan. 1, 2014, and the goals and objectives for the year ahead.
Can you discuss STP’s decision to rejoin USA?
We believe that the USA member fleet has a structure in place that STP can leverage to not only drive improvements in safety and performance but also capture a return on investment. USA’s strategic objectives – improve safety and performance; provide economic benefits; and provide industry leadership and influence – are really what we are looking for in an alliance.
At STP, we are excited about the opportunity to be a part of USA. USA offers a tremendous opportunity to improve our performance and reduce costs. We are fully committed to participating in the USA initiatives, contracts, and projects.
From your leadership position in NSIAC and throughout the industry, where do you see USA fitting in within the industry overall?
The USA fleet has an established structure and strategic goals focused on operational and financial excellence. For single unit sites, USA provides a fleet-type organization which can be leveraged to improve performance and called upon to improve performance. By working together and leveraging one another, I believe we can make significant performance improvements and also control costs and remain competitive. The Core Peer Team structure, with strategic goals in each functional area, will drive improved engagement and performance across the USA fleet.
From your perspective, what are the benefits of being a part of an organization like USA?
For us, USA is a resource, sounding board, and partnership that STP can and will utilize to improve performance, solve industry challenges, and leverage economies of scale to remain competitive in today’s market place. Resource sharing provides significant benefits. In 2013, approximately $27 million in savings were realized through participation in USA programs and vendor cost savings using USA’s supply chain contracts.
The transition to USA offers a tremendous opportunity to improve performance through collaboration and best practices, and also drive efficiencies into our business.
STP President and CEO Dennis Koehl (right) visits with Steve Kaspar in the Unit 1 Control Room.