The Turbulent Nuclear Industry

By Author: William Pollard
Total Articles: 156
Comment this article

The nuclear industry has never had an easy ride. However, the current issues of carbon reduction, building a sustainable future and the Fukushima disaster make the subject particularly thorny.
In the UK, nuclear power is a part of our energy generation, whether people agree with this or not. The Fukushima disaster did not seem to have a long term impact on the views of the general public in this country on nuclear power, and the government have committed to a solid new-build programme.
This programme suffered something of a set-back last month when RWE npower and E.ON pulled out of plans to build a nuclear power plant on Anglesey. It was anticipated that the new plant would create around 5,000 jobs in the construction phase, and then employ around 1,000 people once the station was up and running from 2020. However, EDF and Centrica are still discussing their plans for a new 6.4GW nuclear plant at Hinkley Point.
In terms of post-Fukushima concerns, for the UK these concerns need not impact views on nuclear too much. In terms of geography we are obviously in a different position from Fukushima, and more importantly ...
... lessons are always learned from events such as these. It has been admitted that the Japanese plant was not safety conscious enough, and new plants will be built to more rigorous standards and specifications.
Also positive is the news that talks are being held to find new investors for Wylfa B, and experts are hopeful of finding a replacement. Some commenters immediately rushed to state that this would spell the end of the UK’s nuclear plans, but thankfully this is not the case. David Cameron has pledged his full support to finding new backers, and with the UK providing an attractive proposition for nuclear investment he could succeed.
For nuclear jobs, the industry is far from barren. Jobs outstrip talent, so it is a candidate led market and there are opportunities across a range of disciplines for skilled workers such as engineers, project managers and safety consultants, or indeed anyone accustomed to working within regulated industries or the energy sector.

Careers in Nuclear is your home for networking and careers in nuclear engineering. We go beyond the traditional job board format of simply advertising vacancies by providing a range of features designed to make the recruitment process easier and more rewarding for both candidates and clients. Visit http://www.careersinnuclear.com/vacancy-search.aspxfor more information.