Speakers at forum say nuclear industry offers many opportunities
– Edited by Stephen Heiser –
According to a report in Thestate.com, current and future workers are needed the nuclear industry in South Carolina and the existing workforce is greying. Those two dynamics add up to a bright future for student engineers and others learning skills that would fit into the industry, speakers said during a forum on nuclear energy jobs. If power companies prevail, at least four new nuclear reactors could be built during the next decade in South Carolina.
“Even if we never build another nuclear plant, we’re going to need tens of thousands of nuclear workers,” said Dayna Herrick, Duke Energy’s training work force development manager.
The forum featured former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, co-chairman of the national CASEnergy Coalition, which promotes nuclear power.
“With four reactors under consideration here in South Carolina, that means jobs,” Whitman said. “You are in a position to provide the jobs of the future.”
The forum was held at S.C. State University, which has South Carolina’s only accredited nuclear engineering program. The forum was designed to introduce students to job opportunities in the nuclear field.
The industry will add about 3,000 engineering jobs to the state during the next five years, said Mark Fecteau, who works for Westinghouse Electric Co. in Columbia and is a member of Carolinas Nuclear Cluster, a group supporting nuclear development.
The industry needs hundreds of mechanical engineers, as well as electrical and industrial engineers, he said.
Columbia-based SCE&G and Duke Energy also will need thousands of people to help build the plants. Those jobs include welders, pipe fitters and industrial electricians.
Building one reactor can require as many as 2,400 workers during peak construction, Whitman said.
Once a reactor is built, up to 700 people are needed to work at the facility, she said.
And the jobs pay well, according to CASEnergy:
• Senior reactor operator — $85,425
• Reactor operator — $77,782
• Electrical technician — $67,517
• Mechanical technician — $66,581
The state’s university’s and technical colleges are in position to train those workers, said Jeff Archie, vice president of operations at SCE&G’s V.C. Summer Nuclear Station.
Archie said his career in the nuclear field has been rewarding.
“There are opportunities for young people today to take the same path,” he said.
Reach Phillips at (803) 771-8307.