Commissioner Tim Echols, Vice-Chair of the Georgia Public Service Commission, was honored February 21, 2018 with the Advanced Reactors Summit's Trailblazer Award at a reception at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum at the Texas A&M campus in College Station.
 
Commissioner Echols is a nationally recognized proponent for clean energy and is the architect of the regulatory package recently adopted by the Georgia Public Service Commission with respect to completion of the U.S.'s flagship advanced nuclear project at Plant Vogtle Three and Four. Georgia Power is currently constructing the units.
 
“In reality, I accepted this award on behalf of all the Commissioners and the many stakeholders who worked to keep the Vogtle project going,” said Echols. “Ending the project and stranding $5 plus billion was not the option we wanted.”
 
The Advanced Reactors Summit Trailblazer Award was established in 2017.  NuScale Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Jose Reyes was the inaugural honoree.
 
Echols was re-elected to his statewide post in 2016 and serves until 2022.