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Conference Spotlight
2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
Latest Magazine Issues
Jul 2026
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2026
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2026
Nuclear Technology
August 2026
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
In transition: Commercializing fusion power
Commercial fusion power is closer than ever. There are now around 30 U.S. fusion companies, several of which claim to be on track to connect to the grid as early as the 2030s.
Tokamak and laser inertial confinement approaches benefit from decades of research at facilities such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and ITER, with alternative concepts including stellarator, magnetic mirror, and Z-pinch confinement also making notable progress as private and government funding for fusion increases.
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
Diane Leopold is executive vice president and chief operating officer for Dominion Energy. She is the senior executive responsible for all the company’s operating segments and related construction functions.
Leopold oversees: Dominion Energy Virginia, a vertically integrated electric utility with generation, transmission and distribution assets providing electric service to about 2.7 million customer accounts in Virginia and northeastern North Carolina; Dominion Energy South Carolina, a natural gas and electric utility serving 1.1 million customer accounts; and Contracted Energy, consisting of Millstone Power Station, dozens of solar generating facilities with long-term power purchase agreements in nine states, and a renewable natural gas business.
Leopold joined Dominion Energy in 1995 and became an officer in 2004. She held a wide range of executive roles in operational, financial, and commercial areas throughout the company. She became Dominion Energy’s executive vice president and co-chief operating officer in December 2019 and assumed her current role in October 2020.
In addition to being on the board of directors of Markel Corporation, she currently serves on various industry, non-profit and community boards. She is on the boards of the Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited, GROW Capital Jobs Foundation, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and World Pediatric Project. Leopold serves on the executive committee, board and is past-chair of the American Gas Association and is past-chair of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America.
Leopold graduated from the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical and electrical engineering. She received a master’s degree in electrical engineering (energy conversion, power, and transmission) in 1993 from George Washington University and an MBA in 1998 from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Last modified June 25, 2024, 3:43pm EDT