Michael Powell

Michael (Mike) E. Powell is Director of Strategic Projects at Palo Verde Generating Station (Palo Verde) for Arizona Public Service Company (APS). Powell joined APS/Palo Verde in 1990. He is responsible for the industry actions and plant specific implementation initiatives in response to issues that resulted from the event at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan.

Powell has provided leadership to the US nuclear industry in response to the Fukushima Daiichi event as Vice Chairman and then Chairman of the SAFER Steering Committee that oversaw the establishment of the National SAFER Response Center’s (NSRC’s).  He has participated in several industry task forces and working groups that resulted in the generation of industry guidance for implementation of NRC orders and requests for information. He is currently the Chairman of the PWROG.

In roughly 28 years at the site, Powell has held positions of increasing responsibility in various departments, including leadership roles in nuclear licensing, fire protection, nuclear projects, design engineering, maintenance engineering and nuclear fuel management. Powell has been a membership of Senior Leadership at Palo Verde since 2005.

Powell holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a master’s degree in nuclear engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also holds a professional engineering license in the states of Arizona and Texas.