AEP Names Joel Gebbie to Lead Cook Nuclear Plant

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Oct 27, 2015, 07:57 ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Joel P. Gebbie has been named senior vice president and chief nuclear officer of American Electric Power's (NYSE: AEP) Donald C. Cook Nuclear Plant (Cook) in Bridgman, Mich., effective Jan. 1, 2016. Gebbie is currently site vice president at Cook, a dual-unit nuclear site with a total generating capacity of 2,150 megawatts.

Gebbie, 52, is replacing Larry Weber, who is retiring after 17 years with AEP and 37 years in the industry.

"Joel has been a key part of the Cook leadership team and has demonstrated that he's the right person to head our nuclear operations going forward. During his time as site vice president, the plant set new safety and operational records, running more safely and reliably than at any other time in its history," said Robert P. Powers, AEP executive vice president and chief operating officer. "Joel also has worked to strengthen and enhance the Cook team's relationship with the communities near the plant."

"Larry has been an outstanding leader for Cook and developed an exceptional team that will ensure a seamless transition. Under Larry's leadership, Cook secured a 20-year operating license renewal and began a $1.16 billion life-cycle management project to ensure safe, efficient operations for the next two decades," Powers said. "Larry also has made significant contributions to the nuclear energy industry serving as chairman of the Nuclear Energy Institute's Security Group and receiving international recognition as Nuclear Professional of the Year for his work with Japanese nuclear plants following the Fukushima accident. AEP and the industry will miss his contributions, but we wish him the very best in his retirement."

Gebbie will report to Powers. His replacement as site vice president will be Shane Lies, Cook Plant vice president – engineering. Cook Projects Director Mark Lloyd will replace Lies as vice president – engineering. Jim Ross, Cook engineering director, will become Cook plant manager, replacing Sam Partin, who will take on a new role as site director.

Gebbie joined AEP in 1986 as a design engineer in Columbus and transferred to Cook in 1996 as a system engineer. He has served as site vice president since May 2010. He has a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and a Master of Business Administration from The Ohio State University. He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Ohio and completed Cook's Management Certification Program.

Lies, 45, joined AEP in 1996 as a system engineer at Cook and has served as project director and plant manager in addition to his current role as vice president – engineering. Lies has a Bachelor of Science in nuclear engineering and a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University. He is a licensed engineer in the state of Michigan and obtained a senior reactor operator's license at Cook.

Lloyd, 46, joined AEP in 2013 as director of projects at Cook. Before coming to AEP, he was vice president of new plant business development for Westinghouse Electric Co., where he worked for 19 years. Lloyd has Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in nuclear engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

Ross, 43, started at AEP in 1999 and held various positions at Cook including unit supervisor and shift manager. He worked at Ameren's Calloway Plant for five years, then returned to AEP in 2009 as operations manager at Cook and currently serves as engineering director. Ross has a Bachelor of Science in nuclear engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology and obtained a senior reactor operator's license at Cook.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to nearly 5.4 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation's largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 32,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation's largest electricity transmission system, a more than 40,000-mile network that includes more 765-kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP's transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP's utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP's headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.