Before a nuclear plant generates a single watt of electricity, it will have a strong impact on the local economy. Building a new nuclear plant requires 1,400 to 1,800 construction jobs on average with peak employment as high as 2,400.

Construction of a new nuclear power plant can be expected to provide a substantial boost to local, regional and national economies through the acquisition of commodities like concrete and steel and manufacturing of hundreds of components. The U.S. steel, auto, oil exploration, shipbuilding and large manufacturing industries have experience that could be applied to produce components for nuclear power plants. Some industry sources project that a single new nuclear power plant will require up to:

600,000 cubic yards of concrete
90,000 tons of reinforcing steel and embedded parts
150,000 tons of structural steel and decking
100 miles of pipe
40,000 fasteners
380 miles of power cable
1,000 miles of control cable
285 miles of electrical conduit
30 miles of process and instrument tubing