Mike BalduzziMike Balduzzi, a 34-year veteran in the nuclear power industry, will head one of the nation's biggest nuclear power programs, effective Jan. 23.
The Tennessee Valley Authority today appointed Balduzzi to senior vice president and chief nuclear officer, succeeding Joe Grimes, who previously served in that role and now heads all of TVA's power generation.
Balduzzi joined TVA as the senior vice president of nuclear operations in January 2014 after serving as the senior vice president of nuclear technical services for Entergy Nuclear. He previously worked in a variety of management jobs in operations, maintenance, and oversight activities at the Vermont Yankee, Nine Mile Point and Pilgrim nuclear plants.
l"Mike's effective leadership and strong operational experience have helped us focus on achieving operational excellence throughout the organization," said Grimes, TVA's executive vice president over power generation. "His expansive industry experience and success in his prior role make Mike an excellent choice to lead the nuclear organization in achieving and sustaining top industry performance."
TVA operates seven nuclear reactors at the utility's Sequoyah, Watts Bar and Browns Berry plants in Tennessee and Alabama. Nuclear power generates more than a third of the electricity for TVA, which serves 9 million people in three states.
Balduzzi has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He has also completed the Senior Nuclear Plant Management Course at INPO and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School, while serving as a Director on the National Nuclear Accrediting Board.