Holtec International, based in Camden, has announced the formation of a safety leadership team for the Palisades nuclear plant as the Michigan facility prepares for its historic restart.
Nuclear industry veteran Fadi Diya has been appointed as senior vice president and chief nuclear officer (CNO), effective July 27. Additionally, Holtec established the Palisades Nuclear Safety Review Board (NSRB), which will officially begin its duties on Aug. 3.
Diya brings a four-decade career in the U.S. nuclear power sector to Holtec, most recently serving as Senior Vice President and CNO for Ameren Missouri, where he oversaw nuclear operations at the Callaway Energy Center and helped guide the facility to an elite INPO 1 rating. Throughout his career, Diya has held key leadership positions at Progress Energy, Nebraska Public Power District, Energy Northwest, and Arizona Public Service Company. He holds civil engineering degrees from Bradley University and maintains a senior reactor operator certification.
To ensure rigorous oversight ahead of the plant’s reopening, the newly formed Palisades Nuclear Safety Review Board will bring together three prominent nuclear executives:
- Michael Rencheck (Chair): The former President and CEO (2016–2024) and Executive Vice Chairman of Bruce Power, Rencheck brings extensive global project and nuclear operational leadership experience, including past roles as President and CEO of AREVA Inc. Rencheck is also slated to join Holtec’s Board of Directors as chair of its Nuclear Oversight Committee.
- Edward Callan (Member): An industry veteran with executive experience spanning Constellation, Exelon, and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Callan previously served as Vice President of Three Mile Island and Vice President of Fleet Support.
- Joel Gebbie (Member): The owner of JPG Advisory LLC and former Senior Vice President and CNO at American Electric Power, Gebbie brings deep familiarity with the Palisades site, having consulted on the plant’s restart program throughout the initiative.
Holtec’s project at Palisades marks the first-ever reopening of a shuttered U.S. nuclear facility. As a leader in spent fuel storage, small modular reactors (SMRs), and plant decommissioning, Holtec is positioning the historic restart to deliver safe, reliable, and carbon-free energy to the grid.
