Matthew John “Jay” Diedzic, Jr., P.E., Vice President, ISIT

 

Overview

More than 35 years of leadership, management, entrepreneurship, science and technology, investment, research and development (R&D), and fundraising experience addressing global energy, water, and environmental challenges.

Directly engaged in the Energy-Water-Environment Nexus by developing, managing, investing, and/or monetizing a diverse project portfolio involving traditional energy, 24/7 carbon free energy, energy security, grid resiliency, and water quality-related projects. These projects involve nuclear, fossil-fuels, geothermal, grid-scale solar, offshore wind, and tidal energy; natural gas/coal-to-liquids, hydrogen, and synthetic fuel production; algal-based biofuels; autonomous unmanned aerial, surface and underwater vehicles for ocean exploration and observation; harmful algal bloom (HAB) and red tide detection and mitigation strategies and technologies; optimizing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / State of Florida’s Lake Okeechobee water management and stakeholder engagements, and U.S. Department of Energy Savannah River Site Special Nuclear Material (“nuclear waste”) utilization strategies and technologies.

Career

BlackRock Energy Corporation – President and Owner – Fernandina Beach, FL Since 2001

BlackRock Energy Corporation, a solely owned Virginia-based S Corporation and global energy advisory and project origination company. BlackRock Energy subsidiaries include Texas-based BlackRock Oil S.A., LLC, Florida-based BlackRock Water, LLC, and Maryland-based BlackRock Algae, LLC. Examples of BlackRock Energy’s energy, water and environmental projects include:

1. Energy

Institute of Strategic and Innovative Technologies (ISIT), Vice President. ISIT is an Austin, Texas-based non-profit 501 (c) (3) charitable research institute created for addressing critical global challenges through advanced science and technologies. Pursuing development and commercialization of advanced electromagnetic launch technologies for space applications and a survivable unmanned combat air vehicle.

Consulted for the University of South Carolina’s (USC) College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) for 5 years (late 2016 through early 2022) regarding:

U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) Savannah River Site (SRS) Sustainable Energy and Advanced Manufacturing (SEAM) Complex: A Public-Private Partnership focused on 1) reducing DoE’s annual $6.4 billion “legacy nuclear waste” expense and converting a nuclear waste liability into a nuclear fuel asset, 2) establishing a “commercially-driven” enterprise for deploying advanced reactor technologies and other sustainable energy technologies, for utilizing DoE’s nuclear waste and producing/manufacturing commercial and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) products and services including electricity, hydrogen, methanol and ammonia, and 3) creating and sustaining jobs by leveraging South Carolina’s energy, military and advanced manufacturing strengths.

U.S. Army Futures Command (AFC) Electrification and Mobile Nuclear Power Initiatives: Developing technologies for reducing and/or eliminating military fuel resupply lines for executing the Army’s global Multi-Domain Operations. These technologies include developing and manufacturing an ultra-mobile, kilowatt-scale nuclear reactor for military applications; safe and light weight energy storage technologies; DC-powered, AI-enabled micro-grids; and mobile H2 Fuel Cell-powered vehicles.

MobileNuclear Energy LLC: Co-Founder and Managing Member. MobileNuclear was a start-up company for commercializing the University of South Carolina’s very small mobile reactor (VSMR) technology and being the first to provide an ultra-mobile, resilient, safe, and affordable kilowatt-scale reactor for supporting military and National Guard expeditionary energy requirements.

Kings Creek Solar Project: Originated a utility-scale (20 MW) solar power project located in York County, Virginia, along with a New Jersey-based solar developer/investor, KDC Solar, LLC (now CI Renewables, LLC). Dominion Energy acquired the project and received approval for its development plans in April 2023.

Bermuda-based Energy Projects: Co-led an offshore wind energy feasibility effort utilizing repurposed vessel hulls (e.g., retired oil tankers and U.S. Navy vessels) as offshore energy platforms - significantly reducing the capital cost of offshore wind energy and for enhancing the vessel’s operational flexibility by adding onboard energy storage, desalination capacity, hydrogen production, and/or potentially offshore fish farming operations. Currently involved with a Bermuda-based start-up developing a small-scale, sustainable energy-powered ferry/water taxi shuttle.

South Texas, Northeast Ohio, and Western Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Projects: Recovering additional oil and gas from old oil and gas fields, originally discovered in the 1920s and 1930s by John D. Rockefeller and major oil companies including ExxonMobil, Sun, Sinclair and others.

Electricite de France (EdF) Group: Participated in EdF exercising its “put option” for selling its 49.99% interest in the R.E. Ginna, Nine Mile Point, and Calvert Cliffs nuclear energy facilities to Exelon Generation.

Water Quality / Environmental:

• Chesapeake Algae Project (ChAP): Led a $3.5 million, College of William & Mary / Virginia Institute of Marine Science-led effort for developing an ocean-based, algae growing & harvesting platform for producing algae-based biofuels at significant scale. Project funding was provided by Norwegian national oil company Equinor (formerly Statoil), Exelon Corporation/Constellation Energy, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Innovative Technology Fund and the U.S. Department of Energy. The ChAP effort led to a U.S. patent entitled “Apparatus and method for Producing and Harvesting Algae” (US 8,689,482 B2) and assisted an EPA/State of Maryland Chesapeake Bay Program Expert Panel in developing definitions and efficiencies for Algal Flow-Way Technologies, a recently approved EPA Best Management Practice (BMP).

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) / State of Florida “Lake Okeechobee Optimal Resource Preservation” Initiative: Coordinated a university/research institute/industry team developing an USACE and State of Florida “tool kit” for predicting, detecting, monitoring, evaluating and remediating nutrient and harmful algal blooms (HABs) “hot spots” located within the Lake Okeechobee watershed, Lake Okeechobee and its estuaries, and Florida Everglades. The team is also developing AI-enabled “tools” for generating ecological, meteorological, hydrological, hydrodynamic, regulatory, and health and safety “trade-off” scenarios for facilitating Lake Okeechobee operating recommendations for USACE Jacksonville’s stakeholders. Team members include UofSC, Mote Marine Laboratory, University of South Florida, Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) and SeaTech, IBM Research, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and BlackRock Energy’s subsidiary, Florida-based BlackRock Water, LLC.

Patrick Energy Group – Founding Partner – Tulsa, OK 1999 - 2001

• Patrick Energy Group (PEG) was an Oklahoma-based Limited Liability Company focused on exploration and production of coal-bed methane-sourced natural gas, primarily within the Arkoma and Cherokee Basins of Oklahoma and Kansas. Patrick Energy was sold to Devon Energy in 2001.

MCNIC Oil & Gas (DTE Energy) – Founder and Vice President – Detroit, MI 1993 - 1998

• MCNIC Oil & Gas was a wholly owned subsidiary of MCN Corporation. MCN was the holding company of Michigan Consolidated Gas Corp. headquartered in Detroit. DTE Energy (Holding Company for electric utility, Detroit Edison) acquired MCN Corporation in 1999.

• In less than four (4) years and originating as a “start-up”, MCNIC Oil & Gas achieved over $2 billion in Enterprise Value and over 1.2 BCFE in oil & gas Proved Reserves by investing with successful operating partners exploring for and developing “unconventional” resources including coal-bed methane, shale oil and gas, and tight gas reservoirs.

Detroit Edison (DTE Energy) – Director – Detroit, MI 1976 - 1992

• Middle management positions/roles of increasing responsibility in Transmission and Distribution; Corporate Research; Corporate Strategic Planning; Generation and Power Supply Planning; Thermal Energy; and Corporate Marketing.

Education

University of Michigan, School of Engineering

Degree: Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering

University of Michigan, Ross School of Business

Degree: Master of Arts in Business Administration.

Wayne State University

Completed coursework towards a Master of Science in Nuclear Physics.

Certifications

Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Michigan (I.D. No. 6201028054)

Patents / Licenses

Real-time Parameter Sensor-Transmitter (U.S. 4420752 A) – A system for monitoring at least one parameter of either an energized electrical power line conductor or at least one parameter adjacent to the power line conductor, on a real-time basis and transmitting signals indicative of that parameter to a remote location where the power line conductor itself is the transmission medium for transmitting the signals to the remote location.

Recently applied, as a University of South Carolina Co-Inventor, for a “Compact Reactor System Using High Density Nuclear Fuel” U.S. Provisional Patent.