GUG – Generator Users Group

The Generator Users Group (GUG) was formed to provide an opportunity for owner/operators of electric generators worldwide (initially 1500/1800- and 3000/3600-rpm machines) to share experiences, best practices, and lessons learned on design, installation, operation, maintenance, and overhaul. Expected outcomes are improved plant safety, maintainability, availability/reliability, and efficiency, as well as more effective transfer of industry knowledge from experienced engineers to those with less experience.

Technical content for, and discussion management at, GUG meetings is the responsibility of the steering committee comprised of users only. Click appropriate tabs at left to get the preliminary agenda for the upcoming meeting and to review brief professional abstracts of steering-committee members. Everything else required to conduct GUG meetings—including venue arrangements, registration, meals, badges, audio/visual equipment, promotion through media and the International Generator Technical Community (IGTC, www.generatortechnicalforum.org)—is the responsibility of a small group of non-user industry volunteers.

The idea for a generator users group, and the energy behind its launch, came from Clyde V Maughan, president, Maughan Generator Consultants. By calling some of his many user friends and associates and urging their participation on the steering committee, and getting meaningful support from NV Energy, the IGTC, PowerUsers, SV Events, and CCJ ONline, he was able to move this initiative forward.

Generator Users Group Steering Committee

Photo taken: 2025 Conference in Washington, DC

Front row, left to right: Andres Olivares, Mike Young, Leopoldo Duque Balderas, Jagadeesh Srirama, and Craig Spencer,
Back row, left to right: Joe Riebau, and Jeff Phelps
Camera shy: Ryan Copley, P.E.

Steering Committee Members:

Ryan Copley, P.E.
Engineering Fellow/Asset Management, TECO/Tampa Electric

Bio coming soon…
Committee member since 2025

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Leopoldo Duque Balderas
Plant Manager, Valia Energía

Bio coming soon…
Committee member since 2024

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Andres Olivares
Generator Specialist, Outage Services, Calpine Corporation

Andres Olivares, began his career in power industry in 2010 at National Electric Coil as Quality Engineer at their Coil Manufacturing facility in Brownsville TX; progressing into Site and Project Manager for hydro and fossil projects. Continued to Andritz Hydro as Field Engineer/Site Supervisor for projects in North America before joining Calpine as Generator Specialist supporting outages and maintenance for a fleet of more than 200 turbo-generators.
Academics: BS, Industrial Engineering (ICEST – Mexico)
Committee member since 2021

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Jeff Phelps
Consulting Engineer – System Generator SME – Southern Company

Jeff holds a BSEE from Tennessee Technological University and has over 38 years’ experience supporting Southern Company’s turbo and hydro generator fleet of 200+ units. Specific responsibilities include providing generator and auxiliary system engineering, maintenance, and operational support. Additionally, Jeff serves as the system generator SME in support of strategic planning, event / root cause investigation, and vendor product / service evaluation.
Committee member since 2018

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Joe Riebau
Senior Manager, Electrical Engineering and NERC, Constellation Power

Riebau began his career with Baltimore Gas & Electric Co more than three decades ago in the substation equipment and test department. He has spent most time since working in and managing maintenance and engineering programs for nuclear, fossil-fired, wind, and solar generating plants—including projects involving substation and plant electrical equipment, generators, motors, transformers, protective relaying, electrical safety, construction, project management, and turbine engineering and maintenance.
Academics: BS, Electrical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology; BS, Engineering Administration, George Washington Univ.
Committee member since 2015

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Craig Spencer 
Director of Outage Services, Calpine

Craig Spencer began his career as an engineering technician in Westinghouse’s Generator Service Group while earning a BSME at the University of Central Florida. He continued on with Westinghouse and Siemens in roles of engineer and generator specialist before joining Calpine as a generator specialist. Now he is a Director of Outage Services, covering outage maintenance for Calpine’s diverse generator fleet, spanning over 200 units from fifteen different OEMs.
Committee member since 2018

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Jagadeesh Srirama (2026 Chair)
Senior Electrical Engineer, NV Energy

Srirama has worked in NV Energy’s power generation department for nearly three years as a senior electrical engineer. Previously, he was an electrical project engineer for CalEnergy Operations’ geothermal plants (more than four years), an electrical engineer in mining operations, maintenance, and design for Freeport McMoRan Inc (three years), and a maintenance technician for Aramark Facility Services.
Academics: BTech, Electrical Engineering, JNTU Univ (Hyderabad, India); MS, Electrical Engineering, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.
Committee member since 2015

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Mike Young
SRP

Mike Young has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Northern Arizona University and has been working for Salt River Project (SRP) for 10 years. He started at Navajo Generation Station in Page, AZ, as an Electrical Engineer overseeing varies systems. He later transferred into SRP’s Generation Engineering Department in Tempe, AZ, where he supported major electrical projects across the fleet for a couple of years. His current role with SRP is now in Plant Technical Support where he helps with repairs, maintenance, inspection, and testing for all generators in SRP’s fleet. Before SRP, he worked as a software verification engineer for Belcan Engineering in the aerospace field, where he verified and developed the software for the Auxiliary Power Units on airline systems.
Committee member since 2024

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Past Steering Committee Members:
John Demcko, 2015-2018; (committee advisor), 2018-2020
Ryan Harrison,
Jane Hutt, (committee advisor), 2018-2023
Kent Smith, 2015-2022
Dave Fischli, 2015-2023
Doug Coleman, 2023-2025

Mission Statement of the Generator Users Group

The mission of the Generator Users Group (GUG) is to provide an opportunity for owner/operators of electric generators worldwide (initially 1500/1800- and 3000/3600-rpm machines) to share experiences, best practices, and lessons learned on design, installation, operation, maintenance, and overhaul. Expected outcomes are improved plant safety, maintainability, availability/reliability, and efficiency. The GUG also serves to effectively transfer industry knowledge from experienced engineers to those with less experience.

2026 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

August 24 – 27, 2026

San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter on the River Walk
101 Bowie St
San Antonio, TX 78205

Open Conference Details

Contact: SV Events
Email: Planning.Team@SV-Events.net

The Maughan Award recognition is earned by industry professionals who have demonstrated excellence throughout their careers in the design, construction, management, operation, and/or maintenance of generating facilities powered by gas and/or steam turbines.

Nomination form will be available in January 2025.

2025 Maughan Award Nomination Form

Deadline to submit a nomination form is Friday, June 6, 2025.

Meet our Past Award Winners: