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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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AI at work: Southern Nuclear’s adoption of Copilot agents drives fleet forward
Southern Nuclear is leading the charge in artificial intelligence integration, with employee-developed applications driving efficiencies in maintenance, operations, safety, and performance.
The tools span all roles within the company, with thousands of documented uses throughout the fleet, including improved maintenance efficiency, risk awareness in maintenance activities, and better-informed decision-making. The data-intensive process of preparing for and executing maintenance operations is streamlined by leveraging AI to put the right information at the fingertips for maintenance leaders, planners, schedulers, engineers, and technicians.
Bob Coward is Principal Officer of MPR Associates (MPR), an international specialty engineering and technical services company. He is responsible for all aspects of MPR performance in all engineering areas and all business sectors. His career has focused on nuclear power plant design, evaluation, and development, with specific expertise in the areas of project management, safety analysis, and design and development of new nuclear power plants. A special skill is leading multi-organization and multi-discipline teams to achieve their mission and deliver excellence with a focus on collaboration and teamwork.
During his career at MPR, he has worked on over 100 electric generating plants throughout the world, including 58 of the 65 U.S. nuclear power plant sites, as well as others in Asia, Europe and Africa.
He is recognized as a key industry leader in the safe and reliable operation of the U.S. nuclear power fleet, participating on the NEI Nuclear Strategic Issues Advisory Committee and Supplier Advisory Committee. He has also had leadership roles on the EPRI Advanced Light Water Reactor Program, the Department of Energy NP2010 Program, and led the STP 3&4 project to construct two ABWRs at the STP site in Texas. He has held significant senior advisory roles in the preparation of the Design Certification submittal for the NuScale SMR design and the ABWR Design Certification renewal.
Coward has been a member of the American Nuclear Society since 2001, where he serves on the Nuclear Installations Safety Division and the Operations & Power Division.
He graduated in 1983 with honors from Duke University with a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering and is a registered Professional Engineer.
Read Nuclear News from July 2017 for more on Bob.
