Howard L. Hawks is Chairman Emeritus and Co-Founder of Tenaska, one of the largest independent energy companies in the U.S. Tenaska is known for its commitment to the development, ownership and operation of dependable, cost-efficient and environmentally responsible power generation plants. The company’s multifaceted portfolio includes expertise in natural gas and electric power marketing, fuel supply management, natural gas production and transportation systems, and electric transmission development, as well as asset acquisition and management. He is a member of Tenaska’s Board of Directors and Executive Leadership Board.
Under Mr. Hawks’ leadership, Tenaska has developed an operating fleet of 7,700 megawatts (MW) of natural gas and renewable generating facilities and has developed, managed and/or operated approximately 22,128 MW of natural gas-fueled and renewables generation. Tenaska’s renewable generation development services portfolio includes more than 28,887 MW of solar, wind, energy storage and 10 carbon sequestration projects, capable of storing 50 million tons of CO2 per year.
Consistently ranked among Forbes List of America’s Largest Private Companies, Tenaska is a leading energy company with business operations across the energy value chain. Tenaska is known for its innovation in several areas including winning awards for power project financing, dual-grid dispatching capabilities, environmental performance and operational best practices.
Since its establishment in 1987, the company has raised over $21.2 billion for its projects and company-related debt through various combinations of commercial banks, capital markets and company-partnership equity.
Tenaska Marketing Ventures (TMV), a Tenaska affiliate, consistently ranks among the top largest daily marketers and is the largest independent marketer in the North American natural gas market. Another affiliate, Tenaska Power Services Co. (TPS), provides around-the-clock operations, trading and energy management of electricity. TPS was the first U.S. power marketer to perform a merchant power function for an electric utility. Today, TPS is the leading provider of energy management services for generation demand-side customers in the U.S., offering municipalities, large industrial clients and independent power producers a variety of optimization, risk management, power trading and settlement services.
Mr. Hawks was selected as the first independent power representative on the Board of the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC). He also served as Vice Chairman on NERC’s Board and its Executive Committee and as Vice Chairman of the Shareholder Committee.
Mr. Hawks has over 50 years of executive management experience in the energy and automotive industries. Prior to forming Tenaska, he was an executive for 21 years at InterNorth, Inc. He served as President of three subsidiary groups:
- Northern Natural Resources (NNR). NNR annually identified and developed $300-500 million of equity business investment opportunities with a major focus on cogeneration and independent power.
- Northern Liquid Fuels Group. Mr. Hawks had Chief Executive Officer responsibilities for five major companies and divisions that had revenues of $3.5 billion and served 330,000 customers in 25 states.
- Northern Plains Natural Gas Company. Mr. Hawks was responsible for the development, construction and operation of the Northern Border Pipeline, an 823-mile, $1.5 billion pipeline that transports natural gas from Canada to the U.S.
He began his career at General Motors with a concentration in finance.
Mr. Hawks has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.