PSEG Nuclear President & Chief Nuclear Officer (CNO) Tom Joyce has served as Utilities Service Alliance (USA) Board Chairman for almost four years. Joyce recently sat down to discuss his involvement in USA.
Can you discuss why PSEG Nuclear joined USA in 2008?
Prior to joining the USA fleet, Salem and Hope Creek had not been top industry performers. We had isolated ourselves from the industry and did not do a good job of benchmarking and sharing lessons learned. At the time, we recognized we needed to do better and this included taking a leadership role in several industry initiatives. USA provided us an opportunity to get involved and more importantly never to become isolated again.
As USA board chair the past few years, where have you seen the most progress for the USA fleet?
Our performance improvement initiative has helped get the member plants aligned in comparing different measures. More importantly, the USA management council and core peer teams have used these measures to drive progress where we rely on each other and act like a true plant fleet. This is evidenced by the increasing number of jump up calls where fleet members ask for and receive emergent support on plant challenges. I’m also proud that our members have successfully had their training programs accredited and our security teams have had successful force on force exercises. It has truly been a fleet effort.
What has been the biggest struggle for USA?
Several of our core peer teams like Chemistry, Security and Training are operating at a high level. These are the operational areas where our fleet members have had the most success. There is always room for improvement and we need to get our remaining core peer teams operating at the same level.
In addition to USA, you also have several other key leadership roles in the industry. How has the industry’s perception of USA changed over the past few years?
Today, USA board members lead many industry initiatives at the Nuclear Energy Institute, NSIAC and EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute). As leaders, they are not just representing their individual plant but also the USA fleet. They sit at the table and think about the impacts on all of our fleet members. From where they sit, they are raising challenges and the profile of USA and all of our members. Compared to a few years ago, we now talk and act like a fleet and this has resulted in our peers recognizing and treating us as a fleet.
Where do you see USA headed?
USA’s Carl Parry and John Christensen and the entire USA staff deserve a lot of credit for helping to drive the fleet’s performance. They have put a structure in place that has led us on our current path of success. The high accountability is there at the board level and we remain committed to providing the supports our management council and core peer teams need. With all of this in place, I see the USA fleet and its members continuing to improve and becoming an even bigger industry leader.
PSEG Nuclear President & Chief Nuclear Officer Tom Joyce who has served as USA chairman the past few years.