Holtec International announced Thursday that it had hired a longtime nuclear energy industry executive as its new president and chief operating officer, assuming some of the responsibilities held by current President and CEO Kris Singh.
William Levis will start work at the New Jersey-based energy technology company in October, according to a Holtec press release.
“Holtec’s increasingly complex business undertakings, expanding product lines and a growing global footprint require a full-time President,” Singh said in the release. “With decades of executive management experience, a sterling professional reputation in the industry and a proven track record as a business leader, Bill is eminently equipped to lead our company to even greater heights. We are excited about having him as one of our own.”
Levis has been president and chief operating officer at PSEG Power since June 2007, helping to manage power-producer subsidiaries including PSEG Nuclear. He previously served as vice president for Mid-Atlantic operations for Exelon Nuclear and at power plants in Ontario, Canada, and North Carolina. He has chaired the Holtec Advisory Council since 2012 and serves on the board of the Nuclear Energy Institute.
There was no immediate word from the company regarding details of the division of responsibilities between Levis and Singh, who founded Holtec International in 1986.
Holtec offers a range of services and technology for nuclear decommissioning and waste management. The company in March applied for a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license to build and operate a storage facility in southeastern New Mexico with capacity to hold up to 120,000 metric tons of spent nuclear reactor fuel. If approved, the site would store used fuel now kept at nuclear plants around the country until a permanent federal repository is built.
The NRC as of this month was continuing its acceptance review of the application, after requesting additional information from Holtec in early July on questions related to safety and security at the facility. Holtec last week told the commission it would provide the additional information on safety in two sets: by early October and by early December, an NRC spokesman said Thursday. The company has not yet provided a schedule for responding to the requests for supplemental information on security.
“We will not be able to set a schedule for completion of the acceptance review until we receive all their answers,” the NRC spokesman said by email.
Following completion of the acceptance review, the agency would begin its full technical review of the license application. That evaluation would be expected to take at least two years.
