CAMDEN, N.J., July 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Holtec International today announced the appointment of the following nuclear industry leaders to Palisades’ safety leadership team. Mr. Fadi Diya will commence his service as Chief Nuclear Officer (CNO) on July 27, 2026. The members of the Palisades Nuclear Safety Review Board (NSRB) will assume their appointments upon the establishment of the NSRB on August 3, 2026.
Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer (CNO)
Mr. Diya is a former owner of Diya Consulting, LLC, providing leadership consulting services to the U.S. nuclear power industry, and former Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer (CNO) for Ameren Missouri, where he was responsible for all aspects of the Company’s nuclear operations. He also served as a member of the Ameren Executive Leadership Team and the Ameren Missouri Board of Directors. During his tenure as CNO for Ameren Missouri, the Callaway Energy Center, which is Ameren Missouri’s nuclear plant, achieved an INPO 1 rating.
Mr. Diya joined Ameren Missouri in 2005. Prior to joining Ameren Missouri, he served in leadership roles at other utilities such as Progress Energy, Nebraska Public Power District, Energy Northwest, and Arizona Public Service Company. During his career spanning four decades, he held various positions including Site Vice President, Plant Manager, Site Engineering Director, Engineering Manager, and Operations Manager-in-Training. Mr. Diya holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, and has a senior reactor operator certification. Mr. Diya is among a small cadre of distinguished nuclear educators; he teaches leadership courses at INPO and serves on the National Academy of Nuclear Training Accreditation Board.
Palisades’ Nuclear Safety Review Board
Palisades’ NSRB will comprise the following three executives:
Michael W. Rencheck – Chair, NSRB
Michael W. Rencheck served as Executive Vice Chairman of Bruce Power L.P., an electricity company (“Bruce Power”), from July 2024 to June 2026. Prior to that, he served as Bruce Power’s President and Chief Executive Officer from August 2016 to June 2024. Prior to joining Bruce Power, between 2014 and 2016, Rencheck served as the Deputy Chief Operating Officer of AREVA Group, a French multinational conglomerate specializing in nuclear power and renewable energy (“AREVA”), overseeing its extensive global capital portfolio of nuclear and renewable projects. Prior to that role, he served in various senior positions within the AREVA conglomerate between 2009 and 2014 including President and Chief Executive Officer of AREVA Inc., its North American subsidiary.
Edward Callan - Member, NSRB
Edward Callan served as Nuclear Safety Review Board Maintenance/Work Management Subcommittee Chair for TVA Nuclear sites from 2022 to 2025. Prior to that, Callan served as Constellation/Exelon Vice President of Fleet Support and Vice President of Outage Services from 2019 to 2022. He also served as Vice President of Three Mile Island from 2015 to 2019. Additionally, from 2009 through 2015, Callan served as Exelon’s Vice President of Outage Services and Vice President of Nuclear Oversight. His other roles include Plant Manager, Operations Director, Maintenance Director and Engineering Director at Limerick Generating Station from 2000 to 2009. Callan currently supports Crane Clean Energy Center startup review boards and was its interim vice president in 2025.
Joel Gebbie - Member, NSRB
Joel Gebbie is the owner of JPG Advisory LLC, providing operational, financial, and leadership consulting services to the U.S. nuclear power industry. He has assisted utilities in the assessment of advanced and small modular reactors, the mentoring of senior nuclear executives, service on offsite safety review boards, and the independent oversight of efforts to return a decommissioning plant to power operations. Gebbie is a current member of the National Accrediting Board for Nuclear Training. He retired as Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer (CNO) from American Electric Power in July 2022. In addition, Gebbie served as chairman of the Nuclear Energy Institute’s Nuclear Strategic Issues Advisory Council, and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Utilities Service Alliance. Mr. Gebbie is intimately familiar with Palisades, having consulted with the plant staff for most of the duration of the restart program.
Reflecting the central role of worker safety and environmental protection in Holtec Nuclear’s operations, the Chair of NSRB, Mr. Rencheck, is also expected to become a member of the Company’s Board of Directors and chair of its Nuclear Oversight Committee. More information on the Company’s Board and the NSRB may be found on Holtec’s website at https://holtecinternational.com/products-and-services/holtec-palisades/company/.
About Holtec
Holtec is a leader in nuclear energy technology, specializing in heat transfer and reactor components, spent fuel storage, small modular reactors (SMRs), and nuclear plant decommissioning. With a strong commitment to innovation, sustainability, and energy security, Holtec provides innovative solutions that support a clean energy future. Through its expertise and pioneering technologies, Holtec is driving the next generation of nuclear energy worldwide. The company’s historic restart of the Palisades nuclear plant, marks the first-ever reopening of a U.S. nuclear facility. Holtec’s flagship SMR-300™ will deliver safe, reliable, and carbon-free power anywhere in the world.
For more information, please contact: Patrick O’Brien, Director of Government Affairs and Communications
Phone: (508) 494-4254 | Email: p.obrien@holtec.com
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