Tennessee Valley Authority names Balduzzi chief nuclear officer

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) named Mike Balduzzi its senior vice president and chief nuclear officer this week, effective Jan. 23.

Balduzzi will be in charge of leading, operating and optimizing TVA’s nuclear fleet. He will report to Joe Grimes, executive vice president of generation.

“Mike’s effective leadership and strong operational experience have helped us focus on achieving operational excellence throughout the organization,” Grimes said.  “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.”

Balduzzi joined TVA, which serves approximately 9 million customers in seven southeastern U.S. states, as its senior vice president of nuclear operations in January 2014. Previously, he was the senior vice president of nuclear technical services for Entergy Nuclear. He was worked in the nuclear power industry for 34 years in various leadership roles in operations, maintenance and oversight.

Balduzzi holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He also completed the Senior Nuclear Plant Management Course at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operation (INPO) and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.