Fortnightly Magazine - June 2023

Patriot of His Country and Industry

Tom Fanning

Much like Owen Young a hundred years before him, Tom Fanning has again and again proven to be a patriot of his country and industry. Indeed, perhaps Fanning also personifies a second hero in the history of our industry, Alvin Ward Vogtle.

Tom Fanning: Chris Womack

Owen Young Award

“With all the work he’s led with EEI, on physical security issues as well as storm restoration, the work he’s done on cyber, at the same time pulling the Vogtle project through, and with the technology revolution occurring in our business, he’s continued to stay steady, has been a visionary, and brought us through it all to the other side.”

Tom Fanning: Kim Greene

Georgia Power

“Vogtle is an incredible legacy project for Tom. Southern Company persevered when no other company did. Tom Fanning’s realistic optimism in our ability to get through that project has led us to where we are the only utility in the country bringing online over 2,000 nuclear, clean energy megawatts to serve our customers.”

Tom Fanning: Jim Kerr

Southern Company Gas

“Tom has been our industry’s clear leader in understanding the risks and importance of cybersecurity. Our country has benefited greatly because of his work in this area, and I think Tom will continue to lead in this space.”

Owen Young Award: Tom Fanning

Southern Company

“We’re about the only one with robust proprietary research and development. We’re by far the biggest partner with the Department of Energy on joint research. We’ve always viewed research and development as a way to develop the arrows in our quiver to influence the future.”

2023 Global Electrification Forum

EEI International

Global experts discussed how to achieve electrification. Panels, discussions, chats, and sessions on the transition considered technologies, innovations, systems, and infrastructure, as well as human elements and trends.

Exchange with Exelon CEO Calvin Butler

Electrification

 

“My calendar’s controlling me now. Everything’s a first and you have to engage differently until you understand, what’s important, what’s not? How do you engage? It’s going to be that way for a while.”

Transitioning Island Energy Systems

Electrification

 

“Five years ago, I was working at EEI, and retired in June 2017. I got a call to come to Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico had tremendous hurricanes, Irma, and Maria. I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. 95% of the cell towers were down, 90% of people didn’t have drinking water, and 3,000 people lost their lives. Homes were shattered.”
V