In addition to 26 educational sessions and workshops, UWC 2020 featured an opening plenary session titled "Achieving Transformational Change: A leadership discussion," moderated by Bob Coward, MPR Associates principal officer and ANS past president (2017-2018). Plenary panelists included representatives from Arizona Public Service (APS), Exelon, Xcel Energy, the Institute of Nuclear Operations (INPO), and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.In introductory remarks, Coward emphasized the need for transformational change in the nuclear sector via a slide showing the stark difference between the revenue that a utility might have expected to receive for a plant's power generation 10 years ago and what it can expect today. "If your plant ... had the same capacity as Limerick, and you ran really well 100 percent of the time for that full 12 months, you were paid about $430 million less for your product than you were 10 years ago," Coward said. "When we talk about changes in the market, when we talk about the whole business model changing, that's the impact we're talking about. That's what we're up against.... Essentially every plant in the country, including the regulated utilities, are facing similar cost pressures. We as an industry, as one collaborative team, really have no choice. We have to adapt and evolve, and we have to get even better."
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