Global contracting giant Bechtel says it has signed a new memorandum of understanding with North American construction unions to advance and modernize apprenticeship programs to develop tens of thousands of skilled trades workers needed to deliver new and advanced nuclear projects at scale.
Amid a global resurgence in nuclear power driven by decarbonization goals and energy demands driven by data center megaprojects, Bechtel says it will work with the union’s umbrella group to identify the “specialized craft skills” needed to streamline nuclear construction, work with union training centers to develop curriculum and help. expand “pathways to high-skill careers by building large reactors and SMRs,” the company said on May 5.
“Delivering nuclear power plants requires exceptional craftsmanship and a deep commitment to safety and quality,” said Bechtel Chairman and CEO Brendan Bechtel, adding that the deal “ensures that apprenticeship programs continue to develop the number of craft professionals needed to supply this growing market.”
Bechtel is acting as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the construction of developer TerraPower’s estimated $4 billion Natrium advanced nuclear power plant in Kemmerer, Wyo., a role it has held since 2020. The 345 MW project will be the first utility-scale advanced reactor plant built in the US.
Bechtel broke ground on the project in mid-2024 and is expected to employ about 1,600 workers during peak construction. The contractor and the construction trades signed a project labor agreement for the construction of the reactor last year.
Bechtel says its long-standing partnership with the construction trades is reflected in its work to deliver Vogtle Units 3 and 4, the two new AP1000 nuclear reactors at the Vogtle plant in Waynesboro, Ga. completed in 2023, although seven years later than was initially estimated. The units are the first new nuclear reactors built in the country in more than three decades.
“We continue this work on next-generation technologies like the Natrium Demonstration Project, which represents a new era of nuclear innovation,” Bechtel added. “This agreement strengthens our collaboration with [the building trades] and imparts the specialist knowledge and skills required to deliver these projects safely.”
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For project owners, Building Trades Association president Sean McGarvey said the deal “means there is no risk of labor shortages when projects are built under construction trade agreements with access to … a unionized union workforce.”
He added: “Availability of manpower is not a constraint and projects can be delivered safely, efficiently and with certainty.”
Bechtel ranks No. 20 on ENR’s 2026 Top 500 Design Firms list, with more than $1.2 billion in engineering revenue, and No. 2 on the Top 400 Contractors list, by 2025, with $15.9 billion in 2024 revenue. The 2026 Top 400 list will appear in the print issue of ENR’s May 25 and online a few days earlier.
