Industry executives take the long view on nuclear plant development.

• Position: ENERGIZED EXECUT7VE Q&A - Interview

Jim Ferland is president and CEO of The Babcock & Wilcox Co. He joined . the company in April 2012 and has more than 23 years of experience in the commercial nuclear power and utility industry. He most recently served as president of the Americas division at Westinghouse Electric Co. He also 1 ... 41 served as president and CEO of Louisiana Energy Services, helping it obtain a combined construction and operating license for an enrichment plant from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, among several other accomplishments.

Tom Franch is senior vice president of reactors and services for AR EVA Inc. North America. He is responsible for business operations overseeing financial performance, products and services innovation, customer relationships and project delivery for the operating U.S. nuclear fleet and the design and deployment of the next generation nuclear plant. While driving growth in the core business and accelerating the mix of services, he has led AR EVA Reactors and Services in operational excellence for safety, quality, performance and delivery. He has more than 30 years of power-industry experience in technical, engineering and executive positions.

Ron Jones is vice president of new nuclear operations for South Carolina Electric & Gas Co., responsible for Units 2 and 3 at its V. C. Summer nuclear station and leading the organization responsible for operational readiness and construction of the two new AP 1000 nuclear power plants. He joined SCE&G in July 2012 after retiring from a 31-year career with Duke Energy Corp. in December 2011. He most recently served as senior vice president of nuclear development for Duke Energy.

Jim Little is chairman of the Carolinas' Nuclear Cluster, an industry-led association of more than 50 companies under the umbrella of the energy trade group E Carolinas. A 40-year veteran of the nuclear industry, Little was senior vice president of nuclear energy programs and services for URS Corp., with responsibility for both domestic and international markets. Prior to this role, he served as president of two subsidiary companies of Washington Group International, providing regulatory, safety, security and risk and operations management services to both federal and commercial clients.

What is the outlook for nuclear construction given the price of natural gas? What are the short-and long-term implications for the nuclear industry?

Jones: Often, the "nuclear vs. natural gas" debate seems to focus only on a comparison of construction costs. Any prudent evaluation of generation options must consider more than just the construction costs associated with those options. For example, you need to consider lifecycle maintenance costs, capacity factor, fuel costs, emissions and other such factors; peripheral issues such as the likelihood of a carbon tax on fossil-fueled generation, uncertainties related to potential new regulations around fracking and other such factors; and the benefits to customers of building and maintaining a diverse and balanced generation portfolio.

Adding nuclear power to our system will allow us to achieve a balanced generation portfolio. Once our two nuclear units are complete, we anticipate our generation mix will be about one-third nuclear, one-third natural gas and one-third scrubbed coal, giving us the flexibility to take advantage of whatever generation option makes economic sense for our customers at any given time. When the new units come online, our generation production will be roughly 60% nonemitting.

The bottom line is that nuclear will help reduce greenhouse gases in South Carolina, produce electricity more affordably and reliably than any other form of large-scale power generation currently available and result in a balanced energy...