Jeff Lyash, Progress Energy Florida President and CEO, announced that John Elnitsky, currently Vice President, Generation and Transmission Construction, has been named Vice President of the Company's Nuclear Plant Development Group. This group is responsible for the Levy nuclear project in Florida and the Harris nuclear project in North Carolina.
– By Abby Gessner –
Elnitsky will be responsible for the overall nuclear plant engineering, development, licensing and construction program.
"Our company's commitment to nuclear energy – now and in the future – remains very strong, and aligning the nuclear plant development functions in this organization will help ensure that we move forward efficiently," said Lyash. "Even with the recent schedule shift announced for the Levy County project, there are numerous near-term milestones on the Levy project. John and the Nuclear Plant Development organization will help provide a sharp focus to keep these multi-year, major investment projects on track and moving ahead in the best interests of our employees, customers and shareholders."
Elnitsky joined Progress Energy in November 2007 as Vice President – generation and transmission construction. Before joining Progress Energy, Elnitsky served for more than 27 years in the United States Navy rising to the rank of rear admiral. An experienced nuclear submarine builder and program manager, Elnitsky's final navy assignment was as commander of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center and as the Navy's director of Undersea Technology. In that role, he was responsible for the Navy's research, development, testing, evaluation and engineering for submarines and related systems.
Progress Energy, headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 250 energy company with more than 21,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $9 billion in annual revenues. Progress Energy includes two major utilities that serve 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and Florida. The company is the 2006 recipient of the Edison Electric Institute's Edison Award, the industry's highest honor, in recognition of its operational excellence. The company also is the first utility to receive the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates Founder's Award for customer service. Progress Energy serves two growing areas of the country, and the company is pursuing a balanced strategy for a secure energy future. That balance includes aggressive energy efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art electricity system.