John Rowe, the next chief executive officer of Unicom, the parent of Commonwealth Edison, is ready to make tough economic decisions regarding the utility’s large nuclear programme.
Rowe, who is scheduled to succeed James O’Connor as CEO on 16 March, told the press in February that ComEd will make every effort to run its 12 nuclear plants safely and economically and hopes to get as much out of its large nuclear investment as possible. But Rowe said he was prepared to shut down nuclear units if necessary. He noted that as president and CEO of the New England Electric System he has already participated in decisions to close the Maine Yankee, Connecticut Yankee and Yankee Rowe nuclear stations.
Before retiring, O’Connor had already begun the process of permanently closing two nuclear units at ComEd’s Zion station. However, O’Connor also had hired former TVA nuclear chief Oliver Kingsley to turn around the utility’s nuclear programme.
