Former Exelon CEO, nuclear energy proponent dies at 65
Chris Crane, the former chief executive and president of Exelon, the nation’s largest utility company that also owns ComEd, died Saturday after a “short illness and complications with pneumonia,” according to a statement from Exelon. He was 65.
In a news release, the company said he will be remembered for his “transformational milestones” on safety and equity, specifically related to his work in the nuclear energy field, as well as expanding the company through mergers with Washington, D.C.-based Pepco; New Jersey-based Atlantic City Electric; and Delaware-based Delmarva Power utilities.
He also oversaw the spinoff of Exelon’s power generation unit as a standalone business, Constellation Energy, shortly before his retirement.
“Chris was an industry giant, with a list of accomplishments that chart the growth and success of both the energy generation and utility businesses,” said Calvin Butler, president and chief executive officer of Exelon, who succeeded Mr. Crane in December 2022. “He helped expand our thinking on how an energy company could affect the greater good.”
He started at the company — which owns ComEd and five other transmission and distribution utilities — in 1998 and was named chief nuclear officer six years later, the company said. He had previously worked for the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station and Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant.
Mr. Crane had also served as chairperson of the boards of Edison Electric Institute, the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, the Nuclear Energy Institute and Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry at various points, as well as serving on the board of the World Association of Nuclear Operators.
The Nuclear Energy Institute “and the entire nuclear industry benefited greatly from his leadership and constant support,” Maria Korsnick, the institute’s president and CEO, said in an Exelon statement. “The impact of his commitment to the men and women of Exelon and the communities they serve are an enduring legacy.”
Mr. Crane became CEO of the Fortune 250 company in 2012, a year after ComEd began making $1.3 million in payments to associates of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for his support of policies worth about $150 million to the company. He said the company implemented rules and tracking methods to keep an eye on interactions between its subsidiaries and politicians, though he also said the impact was beneficial, and that ComEd would continue spending heavily on lobbying.
“Multiple bills were passed that really have been good policy for consumers,” Mr. Crane told the Sun-Times in 2020. “It has allowed ComEd to invest significantly in reliability and allowed ComEd to reduce rates four of the nine years.”
In 2017, Mr. Crane pledged $3 million to the United Nations’ HeForShe campaign — a gender equity initiative launched by the international body’s Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Women’s Global Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson — to help invest in STEM programs for young women and girls, according to Exelon. He also pushed the company to sign the White House Equal Pay Pledge, which urged companies to commit to ending the gender pay gap.
He is survived by his wife, Jillian Crane; sister, Mary Willoughby; and three children: Cassandra Crane, Darby Garitty and Zachary Crane.