The nation's largest federally-owned utility plans to go on a hiring binge. The Tennessee Valley Authority says that it likely needs to bring on thousands of employees to construct and operate a slew of nuclear power plants that may get built in the Southeast.

The utility workforce is graying. That's no secret. But, the matter is particularly acute in the nuclear sector where half of the schools that train everyone from engineers to plant operators have dropped by the wayside over the last 25 years. Now, of course, nuclear power is reemerging as a viable energy source. Nothing is certain. But, if the public fully embraces the concept, the people that run the facilities won't just materialize out of thin air.

The U.S. Department of Labor released a report saying that a third of the workers in the nuclear industry are eligible to retire in the next five years. That equates to more than 19,000 people on all levels. To build a plant, however, requires at least 1,500 hands. And with 30 facilities now under consideration, the potential shortfall is evident. To accommodate that growth, about 3,500 miles of transmission lines would also have to be constructed, necessitating even more capable workers.

"Currently, the (south) lacks enough skilled craft workers to build the infrastructure, install equipment, operate the facilities and make repairs," says the Labor Department report presented at a summit in Biloxi, Miss.

No new nuclear power plants have been ordered since 1979 when the accident at Three Mile Island occurred. But the power source is getting a close second look, largely because the nation is now focused on the harmful effects of climate change that most scientists say are caused by using fossil fuels. Nuclear, which does produce radioactive waste that must be stored, does not emit other harmful pollutants.

TVA might well be the first utility to build a nuclear power plant. First up: Watts Bar Unit 2, on which construction was started and then stopped in 1988. Company execs say they want to get going again next year and be done by 2013. After that, they have two reactors set for the Bellefonte Nuclear Site in Alabama.

Over the next 15 years, the power generation industry alone will invest an estimated $400 billion in dozens of construction and infrastructure projects in southern states, the Labor Department says. The nuclear sector is planning to do its part. The good news is that the number of nuclear engineering majors nationally is up from 500 in 1998 to 1,800 in 2006. But that's still not enough.

"Where are we going to get the educated and skilled workers to safely run the current fleet over extended lifetimes and the potential nuclear plants of the future?" asks Dale Klein, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, at an industry conference. "Where are they being educated? Where are they being trained?"

Market Response

The industry is not just hoping for the best. It is actively pursuing solutions. Utilities realize that invading the labor pools of other companies is not the ultimate answer. They are therefore collaborating with colleges and universities to establish innovative programs. They are also setting up internships. And they are providing scholarships and grants. Utilities are furthermore offering internal training programs.

TVA, for example, says that it has been training all kinds of workers in recent years and it has worked closely with the University of Tennessee at Knoxville that has maintained its nuclear engineering program. In its case, its average worker is 47 at a company that sees many employees leave at 55. Over the last five years, it has had to hire 2,500 contract workers to repair its Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant in Alabama.

The Southeast, in general, is friendly to the energy sector. Besides hosting many of the nation's nuclear plants, it also is home to oil drilling facilities, liquefied natural gas plants and of course, coal facilities. And, of the 30 proposed nuclear plants, 27 of them are based in that region.

"Our growing need for labor isn't incremental," says Anthony Topazi, CEO of Mississippi Power, at the energy summit in Biloxi. "It is exponential. We must meet this demand if we are going to satisfy the needs of this economy and this country's national security." An estimated 185,000 utility construction workers are needed by 2015, he says.

Market economies can and do respond to demands. Under any scenario, utilities will have to dig deep by either paying more to their existing workers to entice them to stay longer or they will have to help underwrite scholastic programs to attract fresh minds. With the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting average starting salaries at more than $51,000 for nuclear engineers, recruiting is made easier. Forbes magazine, meanwhile, says that experienced plant operators take home more than $56,000.

Workers of all stripes are encouraged to re-evaluate their job skills and to network. Now is the time to retool and to begin to discover where the new possibilities lie. For those willing to embrace change and upcoming challenges, they will increase their long-term value throughout the energy industry. Indeed, energy companies are ripe with new opportunities, particularly in the nuclear sector.

Nuclear power has an uncommon history. Generally speaking, though, companies can't afford to be shortsighted. That's particularly true for utilities that provide an essential service. But economic pressures often obscure the bigger picture - the development of qualified workers to keep businesses on the cutting edge. If that thinking consistently gives way to circumstance, businesses eventually suffer.

Thriving enterprises, conversely, are proactive. Utilities have gotten the message and are trying to reshape their services. With that in mind, the nation might soon see a new fleet of nuclear generators and the qualified employees to run them.