Governor appoints Commissioner Andy Meyers to Advanced Nuclear Working Group
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Fort Bend County Pct. 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers (center) and a delegation of Fort Bend County officials visited the Texas A&M nuclear program and its 1 MW power plant during a November 2022 fact-finding mission.
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BY ELSA MAXEY
Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Public Utilities Commission of Texas Commissioner Jimmy Glotfelty have appointed Fort Bend County Pct. 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers to the Texas Advanced Nuclear Reactor Working Group.
Details of the announcement on the seventeen-member Working Groupwere released last week.
“These experts are leaders in nuclear energy, business, and academia and will be instrumental as we chart a path forward for advanced nuclear technology in Texas,” Glotfelty said. “The diversity and depth of their expertise will help us deliver a comprehensive and actionable plan to make our State the leader in nuclear energy. I thank each of them for their willingness to participate and serve the interests of Texas consumers.”
Meyers is the only elected official appointed to the advisory group.
Meyers believes the rapid growth in the Texas population, especially in Fort Bend County, requires additional, reliable electric generation available at all times, even when solar is not generating power or when the wind is not blowing turbines that produce electricity for the Texas Power Grid.
“An important priority for the State is to make the Texas Power Grid more resilient and grow electrical capacity to accommodate the billions of dollars in industrial and commercial investments coming to our State and the well-paying jobs that will follow,” Meyers said.
“Commissioner Meyers has been studying advanced nuclear technology for years,” said Precinct 3 spokesman Dennis Spellman. “It’s pretty simple; he wants you to have power when you flip the light switch, regardless of the weather conditions.”
Meyers has bipartisan support for legislation he authored that aids in the transition to compact Small Modular Reactors in Texas.
“It is why he participated in several fact-finding missions over the past year to support his legislative efforts,” Spellman said. “His trips include visiting the South Texas Project nuclear power plant in November 2022. The same month, he assembled a delegation of Fort Bend County leaders and visited Texas A&M’s 1-megawatt test reactor. Then, in December 2022 Meyers and his team visited Abilene Christian University’s advanced test reactor that they are building and awaiting its approval. In April 2023, he met with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission at their Arlington, Texas, offices. His work on this issue is ongoing,” Spellman said.
The members of the Texas Advanced Nuclear Reactor Working Group, along with Commissioner Glotfelty, are:
• Dillon Allen, Senior Manager of Advanced Nuclear Development, Entergy
• Chrissy Borskey, Senior Executive Director, Government Affairs and PolicyGE Vernova/GE Hitachi
• Bret Colby, Principal, Nuclear Oversight, CPS Energy
• Ryan Duncan, Director of Government Relations, Last Energy
• Derek Haas, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
• Maynard Holt, CEO, Veriten
• Mike Kotara, President, Zachry Sustainability Solutions
• Stephanie Matthews, Executive Vice President, Texas Association of Business
• Sean McDeavitt, Associate Vice Chancellor, National Laboratories Office, Texas A&M University
• Andy Meyers, Fort Bend County Commissioner
• Andy Nguyen, Director of Wholesale Market Development, Constellation
• Preeti Patel, Associate Commercial Director, Dow
• Benjamin Reinke, Vice President of Global Business Development, X-Energy
• Doug Robison, CEO, Natura
Clayton Scott, Executive Vice President of Business Development, Pearl/NuScale
• Jim Stanway, Senior Strategist, Samsung Pablo Vegas, CEO, Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Public Utilities Commission of Texas Commissioner Jimmy Glotfelty have appointed Fort Bend County Pct. 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers to the Texas Advanced Nuclear Reactor Working Group.
Details of the announcement on the seventeen-member Working Groupwere released last week.
“These experts are leaders in nuclear energy, business, and academia and will be instrumental as we chart a path forward for advanced nuclear technology in Texas,” Glotfelty said. “The diversity and depth of their expertise will help us deliver a comprehensive and actionable plan to make our State the leader in nuclear energy. I thank each of them for their willingness to participate and serve the interests of Texas consumers.”
Meyers is the only elected official appointed to the advisory group.
Meyers believes the rapid growth in the Texas population, especially in Fort Bend County, requires additional, reliable electric generation available at all times, even when solar is not generating power or when the wind is not blowing turbines that produce electricity for the Texas Power Grid.
“An important priority for the State is to make the Texas Power Grid more resilient and grow electrical capacity to accommodate the billions of dollars in industrial and commercial investments coming to our State and the well-paying jobs that will follow,” Meyers said.
“Commissioner Meyers has been studying advanced nuclear technology for years,” said Precinct 3 spokesman Dennis Spellman. “It’s pretty simple; he wants you to have power when you flip the light switch, regardless of the weather conditions.”
Meyers has bipartisan support for legislation he authored that aids in the transition to compact Small Modular Reactors in Texas.
“It is why he participated in several fact-finding missions over the past year to support his legislative efforts,” Spellman said. “His trips include visiting the South Texas Project nuclear power plant in November 2022. The same month, he assembled a delegation of Fort Bend County leaders and visited Texas A&M’s 1-megawatt test reactor. Then, in December 2022 Meyers and his team visited Abilene Christian University’s advanced test reactor that they are building and awaiting its approval. In April 2023, he met with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission at their Arlington, Texas, offices. His work on this issue is ongoing,” Spellman said.
The members of the Texas Advanced Nuclear Reactor Working Group, along with Commissioner Glotfelty, are:
• Dillon Allen, Senior Manager of Advanced Nuclear Development, Entergy
• Chrissy Borskey, Senior Executive Director, Government Affairs and PolicyGE Vernova/GE Hitachi
• Bret Colby, Principal, Nuclear Oversight, CPS Energy
• Ryan Duncan, Director of Government Relations, Last Energy
• Derek Haas, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
• Maynard Holt, CEO, Veriten
• Mike Kotara, President, Zachry Sustainability Solutions
• Stephanie Matthews, Executive Vice President, Texas Association of Business
• Sean McDeavitt, Associate Vice Chancellor, National Laboratories Office, Texas A&M University
• Andy Meyers, Fort Bend County Commissioner
• Andy Nguyen, Director of Wholesale Market Development, Constellation
• Preeti Patel, Associate Commercial Director, Dow
• Benjamin Reinke, Vice President of Global Business Development, X-Energy
• Doug Robison, CEO, Natura
Clayton Scott, Executive Vice President of Business Development, Pearl/NuScale
• Jim Stanway, Senior Strategist, Samsung Pablo Vegas, CEO, Electric Reliability Council of Texas.