Energy In-depth: Entergy hires new ‘chief nuclear officer’

Editor’s note: Each Friday, Talk Business & Politics provides “Energy In-depth,” a round-up of energy and regulatory news.

ENTERGY HIRES NEW ‘CHIEF NUCLEAR OFFICER’ AS PART OF EXECUTIVE TEAM: Entergy Corp. recently named A. Christopher “Chris” Bakken III as its new chief nuclear officer, where he will have executive oversight for operations of the utility giant’s nuclear fleet with locations in Arkansas, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Michigan, Louisiana and Mississippi. Bakken, who was also promoted to executive vice president, replaces Jeff Forbes, who announced his retirement last year. As a member of the Office of the Chief Executive, Bakken will report to Leo Denault, chairman and CEO, and he will be based at Entergy’s nuclear headquarters in Jackson, Miss. In addition to overseeing the company’s nuclear plant operations, Bakken will also run the company’s management services to the Cooper Nuclear Station for the Nebraska Public Power District. Bakken will also be responsible for building and strengthening relationships with external stakeholders, while becoming an engaged company representative to the industry.

MISO HONORED WITH ‘EXCELLENCE IN RELIABILITY’ AWARD: The SERC Reliability Corp. has presented the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) with the 2016 President’s Award, given annually in recognition of commitment to electric reliability excellence for the bulk electric system. SERC’s award recognized MISO for the company’s commitment to reliability and its willingness to share best practices and lessons learned with fellow SERC members. SERC is one of eight regions in the U.S. and Canada responsible for promoting and improving the reliability, adequacy and critical infrastructure of the bulk power supply system in all or portions of 16 Central and Southeastern states.

CLEAN LINE PROJECT WILL DECREASE ARKANSAS POWER PRODUCTION COSTS, SUPPORTERS SAY: The controversial $2.4 billion Plains & Eastern Clean Line transmission project will significantly decrease the annual cost of electricity production to the tune of $65 million while reducing air pollution in Arkansas, according to a new study by technology solutions firm Leidos. The study was sponsored by Clean Line.

The study said the cost reduction would result from Arkansas utilities purchasing competitively-priced wind energy and avoiding the cost of fuel and maintenance required for costlier generation plants. The study also concluded that pollution reductions in the Natural State include more than one million tons of carbon dioxide, 500 tons of nitrogen oxide, and 800 tons of sulfur dioxide emission reductions each year.