Tom Kuhn, Utility Industry Leader, Joins TerraPower Board as Advisor
January 11, 2024
BELLEVUE, Washington – January 11, 2024 – Thomas Kuhn, the former President and CEO of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), will join TerraPower’s Board as an advisor, starting in 2024. Kuhn led EEI, the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies, for more than 30 years and brings invaluable industry knowledge and experience to the TerraPower team.
“I am thrilled that Tom has agreed to support TerraPower and our Board,” said Chris Levesque, TerraPower President and CEO. “Experience from energy industry leaders is crucial for advancing the new technologies needed for decarbonization and demand growth. Tom has unparalleled experience and vision and, along with the other great innovators and energy leaders on our board, will support TerraPower in its efforts to bring the Natrium® technology[1] to the grid.”
TerraPower’s Board includes Bill Gates (chairman), Nathan Myhrvold (vice chairman), Chris Levesque, John Gilleland, Mohamed Al Hammadi, David Scott, Kristine Svinicki, Ralph Izzo, Bill Pitesa and Moohwan Kim.
“I am eager to contribute to shaping the next generation of energy technologies that will aid our goal to meet growing electricity demand with clean, reliable generation sources,” said Kuhn. “TerraPower is leading the way on developing and building new nuclear technologies, and I’m beyond excited to join their efforts.”
Kuhn has been a longtime supporter of the nuclear energy industry. Prior to his tenure at EEI, he was the President of the American Nuclear Energy Council, which later merged with the Nuclear Energy Institute. He has previously served on the Secretary of Energy’s Advisory Board and the Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves on the boards of the Alliance to Save Energy, the United States Energy Association and the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation.
Kuhn received his Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Yale University, then served as a Naval Officer following his graduation. He went on to receive a Master of Business Administration from George Washington University and completed Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business Senior Executive Program.
TerraPower is actively working to bring advanced nuclear solutions to market. The Natrium technology features a 345 MW sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system. The storage technology can boost the system’s output to 500 MW of power for more than five and a half hours when needed. This innovative addition enables a Natrium plant to integrate seamlessly with renewable resources and could lead to faster, more cost-effective decarbonization of electricity generation. TerraPower is building the first Natrium plant near a retiring coal facility in Kemmerer, Wyoming as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.
[1] A TerraPower and GE Hitachi technology