New nuclear construction going global.

• Position: NUCLEAR: THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE

Despite a slowdown in the world economy and safety concerns raised by the 2011 accident at Fukushima, countries are lining up to build nuclear power plants.

"There are aggressive building programs in China, Russia, India, South Korea," said George Felgate, managing director of the World Association of Nuclear Operators, as he began listing countries in the midst of new nuclear construction projects. "Overall, 45 countries have serious interest in new nuclear."

Felgate was among some two dozen speakers at the Nuclear Energy Assembly, held in Charlotte in May, who offered their insights on everything from safety issues raised by Fukushima to the needs of the next generation nuclear workforce.

The event, sponsored by the Nuclear Energy Institute, drew more than 600 key executives of utilities and nuclear power companies, educators and regulators.

New nuclear construction will be necessary to meet the world's growing demand for energy, said Janice Dunn Lee, deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The need is especially acute in developing nations, which regard access to modem energy sources and cheap reliable electricity as a key to their economic development.

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The need for more nuclear power plants around the globe is driven by the fact that 1.6 billion people--or about one-fifth of the world's population--don't have electricity.

Access to electricity would help to reduce poverty by making available better sources of clean water, health care and transportation, Lee said.

To meet the demand for more power, the World Nuclear Association estimates 63 reactor units are currently under construction in 13 countries. Another 489 units are either planned or proposed.

Carolinas growth engine

Charlotte and the Carolinas nuclear cluster are at the center of surging demand for electricity.

"We have a significant engine of growth here," said Eli Smith, president, Shaw Power Group., a Charlotte-based business unit of The Shaw Group.

The unit offers engineering, procurement and construction services to the electric generating industry and services 40% of U.S. nuclear units, including the country's two largest nuclear fleets.

Shaw is partnering with Westinghouse Electric in the construction of AP1000 reactors, including four units in China.

"These units, which will begin to come online in early 2014, are the first of what we expect to be a worldwide fleet of Westinghouse AP1000 units," Smith said.

Shaw also has...