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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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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September 2025
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August 2025
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From operator to entrepreneur: David Garcia applies outage management lessons
David Garcia
If ComEd’s Zion plant in northern Illinois hadn’t closed in 1998, David Garcia might still be there, where he got his start in nuclear power as an operator at age 24.
But in his ninth year working there, Zion closed, and Garcia moved on to a series of new roles—including at Wisconsin’s Point Beach plant, the corporate offices of Minnesota’s Xcel Energy, and on the supplier side at PaR Nuclear—into an on-the-job education that he augmented with degrees in business and divinity that he sought later in life.
Garcia started his own company—Waymaker Resource Group—in 2014. Recently, Waymaker has been supporting Holtec’s restart project at the Palisades plant with staffing and analysis. Palisades sits almost exactly due east of the fully decommissioned Zion site on the other side of Lake Michigan and is poised to operate again after what amounts to an extended outage of more than three years. Holtec also plans to build more reactors at the same site.
For Garcia, the takeaway is clear: “This industry is not going away. Nuclear power and the adjacent industries that support nuclear power—and clean energy, period—are going to be needed for decades upon decades.”
In July, Garcia talked with Nuclear News staff writer Susan Gallier about his career and what he has learned about running successful outages and other projects.
Technical Session|Panel|Radioisotope Power Systems
Tuesday, May 7, 2024|10:00–11:40AM MDT|Sweeney F
Session Chair:
Harsh Desai
Alternate Chair:
Session Organizer:
There has been a rapid growth in demand for space exploration and utilization of nuclear systems from both government and commercial customers. With multiple projects executing between AFRL, DARPA, and NASA, there has been significant progress in advancing commercial technologies for radioisotope power systems, nuclear thermal propulsion, and fission surface power. For successful deployment of these space nuclear systems, the nuclear industry will need to establish a resilient, affordable, and a sustainable supply chain for HALEU and radioisotopes. This panel assembles experts to deliberate on the crucial task of ensuring that the nuclear supply chain is well-equipped to meet this burgeoning need.
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