labor

The U.S. Dept. of Energy’s (DOE’s) Loan Programs Office (LPO) has published Community Benefits Plans (CBPs) for several projects that recently finalized financing from the agency. The projects include the restart of the Palisades nuclear power station in Michigan, which is expected next year. The DOE on Oct. 29 said the CBPs are part of […]

Recent government legislation and initiatives have prompted positive momentum in the energy industry. From regulatory matters to technology upgrades to renewable energy trends boosted by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax incentives, energy demand and projects are increasing across the sector. However, every opportunity comes with its own set of issues, especially if an organization […]

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) is forming a group of qualified supply chain companies to help ensure the deployment of its BWRX-300 small nuclear modular reactor (SMR). The move comes as power companies vie for components amidst a supply chain strain that has led some sectors to delay critical infrastructure projects and ramped up competition […]

The energy workforce added nearly 300,000 jobs in 2022, increasing to more than 8.1 million total jobs at the end of the year, according to the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) 2023 U.S. Energy and

Developers of renewable energy projects generally haven’t concerned themselves with the Davis-Bacon Act, the Great Depression-era federal law that mandates the paying of prevailing wages to laborers on public works projects. However, if the Department of Labor (DOL) gets its way, that might soon change. On August 23, 2023, DOL published new Davis-Bacon and Related Acts regulations that contain […]

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in January that the number of wage and salary workers belonging to unions decreased to 14.3 million in 2020, down 321,000 (2.2%) from 2019. That was the bad news

WASHINGTON, DC (FEBRUARY 4, 2021) – Today, the PRO Act was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation reforms labor laws by amending the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and strengthens workers’ ability to bargain with employers. Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA), AFL-CIO President James Slevin released the following statement today in […]

Companies in the energy sector this past year faced unprecedented financial, economic and operational challenges, exacerbated by a once-in-a-century public health crisis. Falling energy prices, coupled with the economic downturn triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, caused a significant labor contraction in the energy sector. The spread of COVID-19 required companies, including those involved in power […]

POWER in 2018 reported on the lasting impact that a dip in training programs has had on the utility workforce. In the 1980s, there were fewer training programs and the impact is still being felt today. There are fewer utility workers able to move into middle- and upper-management positions, contributing to a workforce gap as […]

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal heralded the following: “Power Plants Bloom Even as Electricity Prices Wilt.” Understandably, the WSJ editors are excited about the current spate of combined cycle construction projects. I’m also pleased about the growth in our sector (Figure 1). But I’m less sanguine about our ability to execute all […]