Yackira tapped as chairman of Edison Electric Institute
A top local power executive will take over as the public face of an industry trade group.
Members of the Edison Electric Institute, the national association of shareholder-owned electric companies, on Tuesday elected NV Energy President and CEO Michael Yackira as the group’s chairman.
The volunteer position rotates annually to a different industry leader.
“We are delighted to welcome Michael as EEI chairman,” said organization President Tom Kuhn. “Michael’s industry experience, his focus on communicating the value of electricity and his drive toward innovation make him the perfect choice to lead EEI as chair during this transformative time for our industry.”
It’s also a transformative time for NV Energy. The company announced May 29 that investor Warren Buffett would buy the business in a $10 billion acquisition through his MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. The deal is scheduled to close in the first quarter. The state Legislature also just approved a law that would let the company phase out its coal-fired plants ahead of schedule. And on May 31, NV Energy filed to combine its north and south operations on one grid. If the state Public Utilities Commission approves the merger, it should close by Dec. 31.
Yackira has been with NV Energy since 2003, and became CEO in 2007.
The institute also elected three vice chairmen: Theodore Craver, chairman, president and CEO of California-based Edison International; Nicholas Akins, president and CEO of Ohio-based American Electric Power; and Thomas Fanning, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Co. of Atlanta.
Contact reporter Jennifer Robison at jrobison@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4512. Follow @J_Robison1 on Twitter.