The new USA  Work Management Core Peer Team held their first face to face meeting in Minneapolis recently.  The team met to discuss site performance, identify common issues, finalize key performance indicators for the Work Management functional area and agree on business plan objectives for 2015. Appearing in the photo from left to right:  Joe...

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Two guests from Spain representing Spanish utility Endesa benchmarked at USA fleet members Prairie Island and Monticello in August. Jesús Añorbe Rodriguez and Ramón María María spent a few days at both stations interacting with plant operations’ staff to learn and share expertise. Both men were complimentary about the welcome they received and the free...

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USA supplier DevonWay Inc., a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for the high-reliability process industry, is pleased to announce that the LabWay project with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National laboratory (INL) was awarded “Project of the Year” at the National Laboratories Information Technology (NLIT) Summit’s annual conference in San Francisco. The purpose...

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This year, USA fleet members and their emergency preparedness organizations are undertaking a new endeavor. Several members are conducting hostile action based (HAB) drills this year to test their response to a possible security threat at their station. To prepare for these unique drills, the USA Emergency Preparedness Core Peer Team is supporting these drills...

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On a recent workday, Anthony Brunet strapped to his boots a pair of coverings to increase — yes, increase — his chances of slipping on a nearby tile floor. But all you safety specialists can rest easy. The warehouse worker at Fermi 2, a USA fleet member, then donned a harness with a strap attached...

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Garland Steinmann recently closed the books on a career at USA fleet member STP that has spanned nearly four decades. Hired as a Civil Engineer with Houston Lighting & Power (HL&P) in January 1975, he is the longest tenured STP employee. Following another stint on the turbine deck during recent Unit 1 outage, Garland is...

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This year, Utilities Service Alliance (USA) stepped up to co-sponsor “Cost Effective Excellence,” the 2014 American Nuclear Society’s Utility Working Conference held on Amelia Island, Florida, the week of August 11. With nearly 700 nuclear professionals and vendors in attendance, this year’s event marked 20 years of continued strong traditions associated with the popular industry...

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The Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant was the first plant in the industry to try on for size the new INPO evaluation process. The INPO mid-cycle evaluation is taking the form of a pilot, completed in three stages. For the first week, the full evaluation team was on site at Prairie Island; during the second...

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After a months-long competitive bid process, the USA fleet-wide valve services agreement was awarded to incumbent Crane Nuclear. The scope of the agreement includes on-site maintenance and testing of motor-operated valves, air-operated valves, and other types of valves in the primary and secondary systems of the plant. This agreement is important to the USA fleet...

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Utilities Service Alliance member Fermi 2 welcomed two new members to its leadership team in recent weeks: Vito Kaminskas to serve as Site Vice President; and Mike Philippon as Director of Production, or plant manager. Kaminskas brings more than 40 years of extensive nuclear experience in operations, maintenance and engineering; he was most recently the...

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