Halpin and Sheppard worked together to ensure a seamless transfer of leadership focusing on the continued safe and reliable operation of Units 1 & 2, and the licensing and construction of Units 3 & 4
- By Linton Levy -
The STP Nuclear Operating Company Board of Directors today elected Edward D. Halpin as the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer and its Chairman of the Board. Halpin replaces James J. “Joe” Sheppard, who has retired.
“There’s no one who I would rather turn this company over to more than Ed Halpin,” said Sheppard. “I’ve watched him for 16 years. He has an incredible work ethic, and he couples that with an exceptional intellect and a very strong moral compass. Ed is an outstanding leader, and I am confident in his ability to move our company forward.”
The company announced the leadership changes last May to allow for a transition period. Halpin and Sheppard worked together to ensure a seamless transfer of leadership focusing on the continued safe and reliable operation of Units 1 & 2, and the licensing and construction of Units 3 & 4.
Halpin, 48, has served in every major leadership role at the company, advancing through positions of increasing responsibility. He was named the company’s executive vice president and Chief Nuclear Officer in May 2008.
His 21-year career at STP has spanned two nuclear plant eras, from the completion and start-up of Units 1 & 2 to the current licensing and construction planning for the new Units 3 & 4.
Halpin joined STP in 1988 after graduating with honors from the U.S. Naval Academy and serving as a naval officer on a nuclear-powered submarine. While at the Naval Academy, Halpin earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Ocean Engineering and was named a National Collegiate Boxing Association All-American in 1983.
In 2002, he graduated as valedictorian with a master’s degree in Strategic Communication and Leadership from Seton Hall University. Halpin is currently in his third year of doctoral studies in human and organizational development through Fielding Graduate University.
In addition, Halpin serves on several Boards and Steering Committees to help shape the future of nuclear power in our country. Locally, he is a member of the Brazosport College Foundation Board.
The company has worked to build strong partnerships with local communities throughout Matagorda County. STP is the largest employer in Matagorda County, and its employees are active in local government and community service organizations.
“We are proud of the partnership we have built with STP and its employees,” said Matagorda County Judge Nate McDonald. “Ed has been a strong proponent of forging that partnership and we are confident that STP will continue to be a positive force in the growth and development of our local communities.”
Halpin and his wife Melanie have been married 25 years and have three children, Ian (24), Katherine (19) and Luke (16).
Through Halpin’s leadership, the company has set industry benchmarks for sustained excellence and performance.
• For five consecutive years, STP has led all two-unit nuclear plants in the country in energy production.
• This September, the facility completed its fifth consecutive breaker-to-breaker production run, breaking STP’s own 50-year industry record.
• STP is the only repeat winner of the industry’s top honor – the B. Ralph Sylvia Best of the Best Award – which the plant has earned three times.
• The company also has received seven Top Industry Practice awards – more than any other plant – from the Nuclear Energy Institute, and two Utility Achievement awards from the American Nuclear Society.
• The facility has operated more than two years without a major injury among its nearly 1,200 employees, and has a Total Safety Industrial Accident rate of 0.0.
• STP has achieved a three-year net capacity factor, a reliability measure, of 98.87 percent – the highest of any multi-unit site in the country.
In addition, the company is an industry leader in the licensing and construction of STP Units 3 & 4. When completed, the new units will double STP’s output to 5,400 megawatts and make the facility the largest nuclear plant in the nation. STP anticipates receiving a federal combined operating license for the new units in 2012 and having them online in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
STP supplies approximately 7.5 percent of the electricity used in Texas. The plant is managed by the STP Nuclear Operating Company and owned by Austin Energy, CPS Energy and NRG Texas. STP's twin reactors produce 2,700 megawatts of carbon-free energy, powering more than two million homes in Texas.