US Nuclear Industry Faces Manpower Shortage

The median age of an employee in the nuclear-energy field is 48, and up to 35 percent of the industry's workers may be eligible to retire within five years. _Forbes

Nuclear energy is experiencing a resurgence worldwide. The need for clean and abundant electrical power is growing in the US and the western world. Universities in the US are beginning to gear up to produce more nuclear power engineers, a specialist that is in short supply.

Universities and colleges are developing or restarting nuclear-education programs, often working with energy companies to replenish the industry's aging work force in anticipation of new plants going online to meet increasing electricity demand.

...Energy companies are also applying to build new plants, Berrigan said, and the licensing process itself requires more workers. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has received 17 license applications since 2007, and five reactor design proposals have either been certified or are in the certification process.

...Nationwide, enrollment in undergraduate nuclear engineering programs rose to more than 1,900 in 2006-07, up from 470 in 1998-99; graduate enrollment grew from 220 to more than 1,150, NEI figures show.

...Anticipating more U.S. nuclear power plant construction, French firm Areva SA will work with Northrop Grumman Corp. to build a $360 million plant in Newport News to make large reactor parts. Areva's design has been selected for six reactors awaiting NRC approval. _Forbes

Obama is certainly out of his league, whenever a situation requires more than mere talk. It is hoped that somewhere among the large crowd of corrupt and inept cronies the narcissist elect is bringing to Washington from Chicago, that somewhere someone who understands energy will begin to make wise decisions. Perhaps it will be Chu, or someone else. The morons in Obama's dieoff.org choir of circular jerkulators are in no position to help anyone, and so far, the jerkulators have had the loudest voices of the crew.