BOSTON AND HOUSTON – November 28, 2023 –JERA Americas Inc. (JERA), a Houston-based subsidiary of global energy leader JERA Co., and owner of the Canal Generating Plant in Sandwich, Mass., is pleased to announce John O’Brien, Jr. as the Company’s first Chief Operating Officer.
As JERA Americas strengthens its operations foothold in New England and deepens its investment in the clean energy transition, O’Brien will grow the Company’s regional presence in his new executive role. O’Brien, who has served as head of Government and Regulatory Affairs at JERA Americas since 2021, will oversee Development, Engineering & Construction and most of the Company’s administrative functions (Human Resources, Administration, Legal, Information Technology, Regulatory & Government Affairs, and Risk Management.) O’Brien will be responsible for optimizing the organization’s capabilities, improving efficiencies in the organization, and ensuring that the development, construction and operations teams are supported and well-coordinated.
“JERA Americas is shaping a sustainable and innovative zero emissions future with strategic investments across the United States. John’s leadership, industry knowledge, and New England expertise is critical to our growth, impact, and success,” said Steve O’Rourke, JERA Americas Chief Executive Officer. “Our goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions electricity by 2050 is essential and ambitious, and we are thrilled to have John’s entrepreneurial leadership and creative approach help JERA Americas meet that goal.”
JERA Americas has deepened its investment in the Northeast, acquiring generating facilities in Sandwich, Massachusetts, and Bucksport, Maine in recent years. Canal Generating facility’s location on Cape Cod enables it to serve as a critical site for enabling offshore wind with existing infrastructure and grid interconnection. Bucksport, with its existing transmission interconnection, can also serve as a link to connect renewables to the electric grid.
“The New England communities I’ve spent my life in are at the forefront of our clean energy future,” O’Brien said. “JERA Americas investment in the Northeast region is essential for developing innovative and sustainable decarbonization solutions and I’m honored to lead teams to deliver those results.”
O’Brien came to JERA Americas with extensive executive leadership experience with major energy leaders including National Grid, Exelon, NRG, and Vistra/TXU predecessor company (Energy Future Holdings). He also served as President, Natural Gas Distribution & Electric Power for AltaGas, a $4.2 billion in revenue energy infrastructure business, where he oversaw rates, operations, and billing of five natural gas utilities. A graduate of Brown University with a degree in International Relations, he holds a Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School in Boston and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1985. O’Brien served as a Massachusetts State Senator from 1992 to 1998 for the Second Essex and Middlesex Districts during which he served as the Chairman of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy and authored the Electric Utility Restructuring Act of 1997.
ABOUT JERA AMERICAS
JERA Americas is supporting an energy transition in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. The Company is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based JERA, which stands for Japan’s Energy for a New Era, and produces about 30% of all electricity in Japan. JERA is committed to achieving net zero CO2 emissions from its domestic and overseas businesses by 2050 and is contributing to the development of a sustainable society. https://www.jera.co.jp/english/.
