jobs heads up.

Date 06-26-2009 17:29 Edited 06-26-2009 17:33

http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/egr/1199431801.html
(westinghouse/shaw/PCI)
Similar post are cropping up rapidly.
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2009/02/23/daily19.html
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/10/27/story1.html?q=nuclear%20plant%20construction
"Georgia Power signed a contract with Westinghouse and Stone & Webster Inc. on April 8. Japan’s Toshiba Corp., Westinghouse’s parent company, and The Shaw Group Inc. have financially guaranteed the project"
http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/stories/2009/01/05/daily11.html

And what I consider the most important article/news
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124519618224221033.html

It will be very very interesting to see what comes of this.

One thing that everyone should be aware of. The level of expertise in the U.S. has dropped to abysmal levels. Nuclear engineering departments are being filled with personnel who don't have a clue what a good weld, vessel, spool piece, valve, support, hanger, structural member, etc looks like.

QC and QA departments look like a set for a geritol commercial, with very few young faces in the mix.

The old hands are coming out for a fast buck, those of you fortunate enough to work with or for one of the experienced hands had better pay close attention as they are apt to up and leave when they hit their fast cash mark.

It doesn't matter what company it is, Bechtel, Stone and Webster, Shaw group, Westinghouse, Areva, all of them are in the same boat.

Where the rubber meets the road is in the stamp holders. ASME will be hard pressed to get their audits in. There will likely be a lot of at risk work performed for this reason.
So anyone jumping in, had better consider this as they may have to jump state to the next one.

QC hands in particular are scarce, and 'will' get more so as these projects kick off.

If your looking for work, get yourself a copy of NQA 1 (and N45.6 for historical reference) and read 10cfr part 50.55a/b and consider what it is you need, or if you already meet the requirements. If you don't have the required experience/training, consider what it is you need to do to get it by mid/late 2011. By then every Nuclear QC department in the nation will be suffering from a shortage. Remember that when you bid your job.

Now is the time to stage if you wish to catch the wave.

My opinion for what it's worth,
Gerald

Post Script: It's not longer if, and it's no longer when. The nuclear push is here.

By pipewelder_1999 (****)

Date 06-26-2009 18:09

If I were only an engineer :( . And NOT taking Geritol :).

I think the Chattanooga area has things happening. Recently read the article about the free welder training going on there. This was a link from the AWS Home Page http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=10388501

Gerald Austin

By CWI555

Date 06-26-2009 21:10

Within a 60 mile radius of Chattanooga, currently, 1 nuclear construction project, 1 volkswagen plant, 1 steam generator / boiler plant who is gearing up for N vessels, wind tower plant, multiple vessel shops, and 4 nuclear units in the near future. and multiple others. It is surprising given that it was less than 4 years ago US Pipe and Steel shut down.

I haven't sorted out who got this moving, but it's starting coming in 2 years ago.

Common thread.. Welding/NDE/QC/QA. Anyone in any of those in the area will be in good shape. It was looking grim until the nuclear was confirmed. Now it's went the other direction. BTW, least obama fans cry victory, this was all in the works years ago. BHO had nothing to do with it.

By tighand430 (***)

Date 06-26-2009 21:52

You're right about bein in the works. The permit process is what...like 5 years or so? Not what you'd call something that started with the stimulus bill.

By tighand430 (***)

Date 06-26-2009 18:21

I'm sposed to be on the list to go to China with PCI next year. Shaw made a deal with Westinghouse to build pretty much all their new AP1000 reactorsand since PCI is owned by Westinghouse, we get to do most of the automatic welds. Just have to see how it plays out cause Shaw (Stone & Webster in my world) aint too good to work for. Least I aint seen much good from them. Lots of money to be made in the next few years if the government don't micromanage them to death.

By CWI555

Date 06-26-2009 21:15

There is a PCI contigent At the bar now. It's all well and good, but I think Westinghouse has stretched itself to thin. I suspect SW/WH/PCI etc are going to lose some work for that.
It's not always a good thing to get the contracts first.

Regardless, there will be enough work for anyone.

By tighand430 (***)

Date 06-26-2009 21:49

Well, they accuired a company called carolina energy a year ago or so so they are prolly gonna be doing some of the work in any of the non-union plants that the new units are going into. They are stretching thin but so is Framatome/Areva. They have about 3 SGRPs this year at 3 mile, Diablo and I think another one plus overlays and what not. I know we have one at SONGS and an overlay at Millstone along with some other small projects. Everybody is gettin thin tryin to pick up the last big projects for existing plants but after this round, most big projects for current nukes will be done until they start overlaying the reactor nozzzles an the new ones starting. I just hope that PCI, WSI, and Framatome don't lower their welding standards to get hands in to do the work. Yes, it does happen at all of them when they need hands but hope it doesn't get that far this go-round. An I don't know what PCI is doin at the bar but maybe some canister seals or somethin to that effect.

By CWI555

Date 06-26-2009 23:40

They are all stretched thin across the board with no foriegn resources to supplement. China has taken all the SE Asia available nuclear experience, much of India is in the same condition etc.

By spgtti

Date 06-27-2009 01:15

Can't forget about screaming hot phase 2 alloy 600 repairs. Whichever 3 letter company gets those worked out first will be paying hands well for those dose rates.

All the big names are working on their own auto welding programs now for the primary piping, I don't forsee alot of money to be made with specialty outfits in new construction as shaw, bechtel and fluor are planning to self perform with onsite trained welders.

As welders the scarriest thing about the next boom is the H2B and L1 visas our government is handing out these days. The utilities are going to push for whatever they can to get these jobs manned and completed at whatever the cost. Been to a Taiwanese nuke lately?

By CWI555

Date 06-27-2009 02:31

kuosheng 1 slightly north and west of Taipai. I can't say lately, as it's been a while, but I have been to one.
The U.S. can issue all the H2B and L1 visa's it wishes, but there will be no one there to fill them when the boom gets in full swing as china, india, and europe are all pushing them at this time.

As for the alloy 600 issue, yep it's still there, but I refuse to be a dose spong for anyone.

Regards,
Gerald

By tighand430 (***)

Date 06-27-2009 03:13 Edited 06-27-2009 03:16

I know the dose issues are a big part on the hot leg overlays but they are getting their procedures down to lower dose. I know how the one I've worked for is plannin to do it but can't say for the others. It's true that Shaw is working on an auto program but they are having setbacks with it and they're gonna catch hell tryin to get non-union hands in on these nukes that are being built union. When I was working in Pueblo, Shaw was wanting to bring in abunch of Mexicans in to do the auto welds but out of the 50 or so welders they trained, none of them could pass the test and this came from the QC that went down there to train them. I wouldn't worry so much about the visa situation either. There is a non-union pipline company named Wilbros that tried to bring a bunch of people in on H2Bs for a pipeline job. 798 found out about it and had all the welders they could send in resumes and took them to the Labor Dept. and showed them that there were plenty of Americans, union and non-union, that were able to man that job. In the end, Wilbros was denied almost if not all the visa applications they were requesting. There will prolly be some coming in on the H2Bs, but I don't think it's gonna be a plague of them and the utilities/contractors are gonna have to come up with extras to pull hands from other jobs to man theirs. I'm lookin forward to seeing the throat cuitting that the contractors are gonna do cause it's just gonna mean more money and if we play our cards right in the UA, we can get the conditions that were given up years ago back plus some hopefully.

And I aint been to a nuke in Taiwan yet but have been to one in Spain. Makes you appreciate the safeguards the US nukes have in place. Hopefully I'll get to go to China next year and see how it's done on that side of the world.