Christopher A. Rusch

Atlanta, GA, USA

Mr. Rusch has more than 40 years of experience in the nuclear industry with specialized expertise with nuclear fuel management. He retired from NAC International where he was a senior consultant in NAC’s Consulting Group. He contributed to many key NAC Consulting projects including:

• Nuclear Fuel Fabrication Negotiations for which he reviewed bid documents including draft contracts, prepared negotiating strategies, performed nuclear fuel cycle cost calculations, and prepared for and participated in nuclear fuel fabrication contract negotiating sessions involving two international suppliers of nuclear fuel fabrication services. One fabrication procurement effort included a significant nuclear fuel design development program.
• Nuclear Fuel Cycle Reports on LWR and PHWR nuclear fuel fabrication markets, uranium enrichment services market, burnable absorbers, the transportation of nuclear fuel, nuclear plant operations and maintenance costs, nuclear fuel cycle costs for uranium, thorium and MOX fuel, comparison of U.S. and Swedish commercial and research reactor decommissioning costs, nuclear waste disposal costs, disposition of U.S. weapons plutonium (MOX option), and projected cost of U.S. spent fuel management and U.S. spent fuel storage technologies.
• Reprocessing Plant Monitoring Equipment Design Project for which he served as project manager for a five-year project to design and install monitoring equipment at the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant.
• Nuclear Fuel Databases in which he evaluated multiple information sources to establish nuclear fuel usage models and plans, as well as nuclear fuel contract coverage for commercial and research reactors.
• Nuclear Fuel Cycle Seminars in which he taught sessions on nuclear fuel fabrication, nuclear fuel cycle costs and spent fuel management.

Prior to joining NAC, Mr. Rusch was the manager of nuclear fuel at Portland General Electric and was responsible for all phases of nuclear fuel procurement, including strategic and tactical planning, bid preparation, supplier and proposal evaluations, contract negotiation, contract administration, and economic analysis. Significant experience includes management of major projects, technical professionals (in-core fuel management and safety analysis personnel) and annual operating and capital budgets of $1 million and $25 million, respectively.

Mr. Rusch began his career as an officer in the U.S. Navy and completed the Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Program. He also has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and master’s degree in nuclear engineering from the University of Washington.

Areas of Expertise

• Contract development
• Contract portfolio analysis
• Cycle economics and fuel costs
• Fuel department staffing and organization assessments
• Fuel fabrication procurement
• Obligations reporting
• Purchasing/marketing strategies
• RFP and bid evaluations
• Security of supply studies
• Spent fuel storage options and economics