Howard L. Sobel
Vice President for Special Projects

Email: hsobelpe@aol.com

 

Howard Sobel has more than 30 years of experience in the nuclear industry, and brings to Edlow International a wide range of management and technical skills. Prior to joining Edlow International in September 1997, Mr. Sobel was an independent consultant for 15 years, conducting management assessments to address risk issues affecting nuclear power plant operations, outages, nuclear licensing, regulatory issues, maintenance, nuclear fuel management, testing, training, startup and construction. He has served as technical expert and witness in significant rate cases and major litigations involving a broad spectrum of management and technical issues.

With a Masters Degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Michigan, Mr. Sobel joined American Electric Power (AEP) during the construction of the Cook Nuclear Plant. As a Pre-Operational Test Coordinator, he gained important hands-on experience during the construction and startup phases of the plant. He received special training at the reactor vendor in operations and reactor physics analysis and testing. After plant startup he returned to the engineering offices of AEP, responsible for the nuclear fuel management of the plant and gained additional responsibilities, including operations and Quality Assurance. Finally, Mr. Sobel became the Assistant Nuclear Engineering Division Manager, responsible for all nuclear fuel management, both in-core and out-of-core, and the safety and licensing of the plant. With the knowledge and experienced gained at AEP, Mr. Sobel established his own company as an independent
consultant.

In his second career, Mr. Sobel was a principal participant in the management audits of the South Texas Project, Comanche Peak, Perry, Clinton, Seabrook, Millstone III, Vogtle and the Waterford Plants. He was the Chairman of the Independent Review Committee for the US DOE at its Savannah River Plant. He has provided strategic support, technical analysis and expert testimony in litigations and rate cases involving Connecticut Yankee, Salem, Cooper, the South Texas Project, Nine Mile Point, Shoreham, Palo Verde and the Washington Public Power Supply System. He has performed analysis of the early shutdown of Trojan, and the extended outage of Pilgrim, has prepared reports on the decommissioning of several nuclear plants, and a study on the load-following capability of reactors. He has also developed projections of the nuclear fuel market for use in strategic decision-making concerning nuclear fuel supply.

Howard Sobel’s range of experience, knowledge of the industry and personnel network of contacts bring to Edlow International an important resource that spans today’s problems and tomorrow’s issues in the nuclear industry. As Vice President for Special Projects, Mr. Sobel is involved with projects that address new problems and issues that do not have simple, ready-made solutions. At Edlow International, Howard Sobel contributed to the resources and determination to tackle new problems the new millenium.