Duke Energy said Kelvin Henderson will become chief generation officer on March 1, succeeding Preston Gillespie, who is retiring next year.
Gillespie joined the company in 1986 as an assistant engineer at Oconee Nuclear Station in South Carolina. He has had his current role since 2020. He will remain at Duke through March 1, 2027, and have responsibility for guiding Duke’s decisions about new nuclear projects.
Henderson will be a senior vice president and report to CEO Harry Sideris. He has more than 35 years of nuclear experience, including the last five as chief nuclear officer at Duke Energy.
Duke promoted Steven Capps to senior vice president and chief nuclear officer, reporting to Henderson, effective March 1. Capps is now senior vice president, new nuclear development and operations support. He has worked at Duke for more than three decades.
“Our customers rely on us for dependable, affordable energy, while a rapidly changing world demands greater speed, agility and innovation,” said Sideris. “The depth of leadership talent and thoughtful transition provides the continuity that allows the company to deliver today and invest for the future – supporting the growth we are delivering for our communities across our service territories.”
Charlotte-based Duke Energy is among the largest U.S. utilities with 8.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Its natural gas utilities serve 1.7 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky.