CAMBRIDGE, MA – November 5, 2026 – Alva Energy, the nuclear energy company making it faster and easier to safely boost power from existing nuclear reactors, announced the appointment of Jeff Lyash to its Board of Directors. Jeff is a deeply experienced utility industry leader, having served as CEO of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the largest public power generator in the U.S., and Ontario Power Generation (OPG), one of the world’s largest owners of nuclear power plants. Earlier in his career, Jeff served as president of CB&I Power while the company was designing and constructing eight AP1000 reactors in the United States and China; as executive vice president of Energy Supply at Duke Energy and Progress Energy; and in senior technical and management roles at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Jeff also earned an NRC Senior Reactor Operator license, giving him rare firsthand experience in plant operations. He joins Alva’s Board as demand for its turnkey nuclear uprates grows among utilities racing to meet surging electricity demand.
“There is no one who understands the issues facing utilities today or the potential impact of nuclear plant uprates more than Jeff,” said Alva Energy’s CEO, James Krellenstein. “His background, experience, and perspective will be invaluable to us as we work with utility customers, our EPC partners, and our suppliers to bring gigawatts of additional electrical generation capacity online from the existing nuclear fleet.”
“Energy is becoming one of the defining constraints on American technological and economic leadership,” said Pat Gelsinger, General Partner at Playground Global and Alva Energy Board member. “Jeff has spent his career leading some of the most complex organizations and projects in the energy industry. Bringing that experience to Alva’s Board is a major step as the company works to deliver gigawatts of new capacity across the U.S. nuclear fleet.”
Alva energy emerged from stealth in February with $33 million in funding led by Playground Global. Alva offers a productized solution for generating more power from existing nuclear plants, turning complex retrofit projects into standardized, turnkey offerings that can be implemented in as little as 3 years. By replacing steam generators and adding a second turbine-generator plant to operating plants, Alva maximizes their electrical generation capacity while maintaining or improving their safety margins. Adding 200-300 MWe of generation capacity per reactor, Alva’s solution has the potential to unlock 6-10 GW of power across the existing U.S. nuclear fleet. The company is currently conducting feasibility studies with 6 reactors in the U.S.
Jeff’s appointment comes amid a shift in how the industry is meeting load growth: rather than waiting a decade or more for new builds, utilities and their largest customers are looking first to the 94 reactors already operating in the U.S.
“Utilities are caught between fast-growing demand for electricity and the high cost and long timelines of building new plants,” said Jeff Lyash, who also serves on the boards of Dominion Energy and Aecon. “Power uprates are the highest-value nuclear investment we can make today. There are gigawatts of untapped capacity in the existing fleet that can be brought online much faster and at far lower cost than new construction. Utilities and large power buyers need solutions that deliver quickly, at a reasonable cost, with low risk and a limited regulatory burden. Alva’s approach accomplishes all of that, while rebuilding the execution muscle the industry will need to deliver new plants on time and on budget.”
About Alva Energy
Alva Energy is a nuclear technology company unlocking gigawatts of new clean power from the infrastructure that already exists. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Alva brings world-leading expertise in nuclear engineering, licensing, and construction: the technical leadership has collectively managed more than $20B in nuclear construction, including the fastest steam generator replacement in U.S. history and the fastest reactor design certification in U.S. history. By productizing nuclear plant upgrades, known as “uprates,” Alva makes it faster, easier, and more predictable to boost output from existing U.S. reactors. Its standardized approach adds 200–300 megawatts of capacity per reactor, targeting up to 10 gigawatts across the U.S. fleet. With real project delivery and regulatory experience at its core, Alva delivers clean, firm in years, not decades.
