Following the closure of the Energy Harbor purchase, Vistra today announced the addition of a new member to its board of directors. John W. Pitesa, who has over 40 years of experience in the nuclear sector and served as Duke Energy’s chief nuclear officer, has been selected as an independent director as of right now. Furthermore, Vistra renamed the Nuclear Oversight Committee, with Mr. Pitesa as head, and transformed the Nuclear Oversight Advisory Board into a standing committee of the board.
According to Scott Helm, the chairman of the board at Vistra, they are happy to have Bill Pitesa join them at this exciting time for the firm. The board’s continuous monitoring of the safe and effective operation of the company’s expanding nuclear fleet—which is currently the second-largest competitive nuclear fleet in the nation—will benefit greatly from Bill’s experience and expertise.
For his whole career, Mr. Pitesa has worked in the nuclear sector. His most recent position was as chair of the nuclear committee on the Energy Harbor board of directors, which he held from 2020 until Vistra acquired the business. Pitesa served as chief nuclear officer at the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) before retiring in 2018. Prior to this, Pitesa was the chief nuclear officer of Duke Energy, where he had worked for two years as a loaned employee of the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) and held a number of management positions since his 1980 recruitment. He also participated in nuclear plant review teams for the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) during that period. Pitesa graduated from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. He is a Harvard Advanced Management Program alumnus and a qualified professional engineer in North Carolina.
Leading Fortune 500 integrated retail electricity and power generation corporation Vistra serves communities, businesses, and consumers from Maine to California by supplying vital resources. Vistra, a leader in the energy transformation with its headquarters located in Irving, Texas, is unwavering in its focus on sustainability, affordability, and dependability. The company employs a creative, customer-focused approach in its retail business while safely operating a network of dependable, efficient power producing facilities, including solar, nuclear, coal, natural gas, and battery energy storage.
