(Oil & Gas 360) – A talent deficit may be the biggest drag on the momentum behind a global nuclear resurgence as the technology is increasingly recognized as an efficient and proven way to produce reliable emissions-free electricity.
A similar talent dearth has long been an oil and gas industry topic and potential threat to the United States’ dominance in fossil fuel production. Figures show the nuclear industry is failing to produce enough nuclear engineers to meet what is projected to be growing demand as industry veterans age out. A U.S. Energy and Employment report notes that 17% of the workers in the industry are older than 55; 60% are between 30 and 54.
College enrollments are not encouraging. Not only are the numbers of degrees in nuclear engineering falling to around 450 a year, PhD’s awarded are less than half that. This compares to over 900 petroleum engineering degrees issued in 2022, which saw about thirty thousand law degrees issued.
Nuclear is a lucrative field. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report a median annual salary of a little over $125,000, second only behind that of petroleum engineers by just a few thousand dollars.
The U.S. Department of Energy forecast a tripling of nuclear power by 2050, this from a country that is already the world leader in nuclear generation. However fewer than 70,000 people are in the U.S. nuclear industry. The DOE forecasts a need to triple that number to meet its 2050 goals.
In the United States, the first nuclear plant in seven years opened last year outside of Augusta, Georgia. While the plant is providing electricity to the grid, its completion was seven years overdue and over $15 billion over budget. At 1,100 megawatts of electricity, the Plant Vogtle Unit 3 is currently powering half a million homes and businesses.
More nuclear energy is on tap. The Generation IV reactor by Kairos Power at Oak Ridge, Tennessee has been approved for construction. China is said to have at least twenty nuclear reactors currently in different stages of construction.
By Jim Felton for oilandgas360.com
