Ascendant Group has named US energy industry heavy-hitter Walter M Higgins III as its new president and chief executive officer.As the head of two major energy companies, American Mr Higgins is no stranger to building power plants and fighting for rate increases.The 66-year-old retired Navy captain and former nuclear submarine officer even has a power plant named after him - NVEnergy’s Walter Higgins Generating Station.He will be arriving on the Island at the end of the month, succeeding Vince Ingham, who retired the end of December 2011.Mr Higgins was president and CEO of Sierra Pacific (now NVEnergy and serving Nevada and parts of California) and AGL Resources, the parent company of Atlanta Gas Light.According to news reports, Mr Higgins was a major force in the recovery and growth of Sierra Pacific, one of America’s fastest-growing energy utilities. Mr Higgins also served as president and COO of Louisville Gas & Electric, in Kentucky.In announcing the appointment yesterday, Ascendant chairman Michael Collier said: “We are very pleased to be welcoming an energy professional of Mr Higgins calibre to our organisation. His 37-year career has primarily revolved around the utility industry, initially working in utility services, regulation and later in top management positions. Among his successes, Mr. Higgins has led companies through deregulation, mergers, acquisitions, repositioning and succession planning.”It’s said the Western energy crisis of 2000 and 2001 defined Mr Higgins’ career.“(Mr) Higgins endured six years of sometimes bitter battles with Enron Corp, challenges in rate cases and the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s unsolicited buyout offer for Nevada Power Co,” one Nevada media report said.As a Forbes article explained: “Walter M Higgins III thought he had left Sierra Pacific Resources in great shape when he took off in early 1998 to run Atlanta Gas Light. But two years later its Las Vegas utility, Nevada Power, called him back out of desperation. It was then the height of the western power crisis.“Anxious casino executives were pleading with Higgins to help fend off the rolling blackouts that were hitting California: A dark half-hour on the Strip could mean tens of millions of gaming dollars lost, not to mention a security nightmare. To keep current flowing, Nevada Power had to buy juice from companies like Enron ...”Mr Higgins also held a number of other senior positions within the energy industry, including at Portland General Electric, in Oregon where Mr. Higgins was senior vice-president, Generation and Transmission, and vice-president, Distribution.Mr Collier added: “At the end of 2010, the Ascendant Group Board of Directors initiated a long-range leadership and succession planning strategy. The Board of Directors also adopted a number of strategic initiatives developed under the leadership of now Senator AL Vincent Ingham. Mr. Higgins will be working with the executive and senior management teams to deliver the Group’s strategic initiatives, the focus of which is primarily to grow and diversify business units, manage policy and regulatory risks and ensure adequate financial and human resource organisational capacity, with emphasis on succession planning.”In the mid-1970s Mr Higgins served as a technical assistant at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Mr Higgins is a nuclear engineer, having trained at the US Naval Academy. He also attended Stanford University, Executive Programme at the Graduate School of Business, the Public Utility Executive Course at the University of Idaho and some business studies at George Washington University, Graduate School of Business.Ascendant is the parent company of Belco, Bermuda Gas & Utility Company Ltd, PureNERGY Renewables Ltd, Sigma Corporate Services Company Ltd and inVenture Ltd, as well as BELCO Properties Ltd and BTS Ltd.