Assessment of Critical Construction Engineering and Management Aspects of Nuclear Power Projects

Thirty years ago when the last nuclear power plant was ordered in the United States, many nuclear projects were suffering from large cost and schedule overruns, which were often caused by poor project management practices and a general lack of nuclear experience. This research aims at illustrating (1) critical project management areas and tasks with respect to a nuclear project life cycle; and (2) critical aspects associated with the successful nuclear construction projects. As a result, this research identified the relative priorities of six phases of a modified engineering procurement construction (EPC) project life cycle with respect to nuclear construction projects based on the results of descriptive statistics. Subsequently, 76 tasks embedded in the modified life cycle were condensed into 12 critical aspects of nuclear construction projects using an exploratory factor analysis method. Consequently, this research is aimed at establishing the basis for the development of a modern nuclear construction body of knowledge and the education of the future experienced cadre of nuclear construction professionals. (C) 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.