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 conference sharing current knowledge on relevant topics.
American Nuclear Society (ANS) President Michaele C. Brady Raap officially kicked-off the conference Monday morning by presenting awards for leadership and conference sponsorship to event Co-General Chairmen Tim Rausch, USA Board Chairman and PPL Susquehanna’s Chief Nuclear Officer, and Tom Joyce, former USA Board Chairman and PSEG Nuclear’s President and CNO.
“We are honored to represent the Utilities Service Alliance fleet to help make this conference a huge success for all participants to more effectively address cost-effective excellence,” said Tim. “The work USA member utilities demonstrated in successfully co-hosting this year’s event is just one more example of the kind of ‘can-do’ attitude that prevails across the USA fleet.”
Technical Program Chair and PPL Susquehanna Maintenance General Manager Bill Bishop received honors for his leadership of the technical portion of the conference.
“USA leadership was evident across the conference and throughout the technical portions of the conference,” said Bill. “Most of the conference’s track leaders were USA Core Peer Team Leads. They, along with John Christensen, were instrumental in developing a slate of courses which were well received and well-attended by this year’s participants.”
Conference Track Leaders representing USA included:
- Executive: John Christensen, USA; Aldo Capristo, Xcel Energy
- Fukushima Response: Randy Ebright, USA
- Maintenance: Richard Carpenter, PPL Susquehanna; Fred Mooney, PSEG Nuclear
- Operations: Shawn Hafen, Xcel Energy
- Performance Improvement: Bill Mattingly, PSEG Nuclear
- Regulatory Relations/Oversight: John Tripoli, PPL Susquehanna
- Training: Pat Chambers, PPL Susquehanna; Marios Kafantaris, PSEG Nuclear
- Bill also mentioned that another reason attendance was so strong was that INPO co-located its Work Management and Maintenance Working meetings to Amelia Island.
“But what I found most interesting was that nuclear professionals from all over the country worked diligently in their own locations on their own tracks during the previous six months – and it all came together here in one successful meeting,” said Bill.
Notable presenters during the week included:
- US Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Kristine Svinicki
- Southern Company CNO Dan Bost
- EPRI VP & CNO Neil Wilmshurst
Following the Fukushima Response and Emergency Preparedness presentation, (L to R) USA Board Chairman Tim Rausch, USA’s Randy Ebright and TEPCO’s Kenji Tateiwa grab lunch together during one of the conference’s busiest days.