Plymouth County’s Nuclear Decommissioning Creates Unprecedented HVAC Career Opportunities in 2025
The closure of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Massachusetts has sparked an unexpected boom in HVAC workforce opportunities throughout Plymouth County. The plant was shut down May 31, 2019 and began the process of decommissioning, creating a ripple effect that continues to generate specialized job opportunities for skilled HVAC professionals in 2025.
The Scale of Decommissioning Operations
The decommissioning process will span the next 30 years, representing one of the largest industrial remediation projects in Massachusetts history. In August 2019, Entergy sold the station to Holtec International’s subsidiary, Holtec Decommissioning International, which has been operating the plant and decommissioning it. When the plant closed its doors in 2019, it took more than 600 jobs with it, representing $77 million in local wages, but the decommissioning phase is creating new opportunities across multiple skilled trades.
After Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station ceased operations, many of the operations employees transferred into a decommissioning organization, and throughout the decommissioning lifecycle, many of the same employees will assist in the safe dismantlement of Pilgrim Station. However, the specialized nature of nuclear decommissioning requires additional expertise from various technical fields, particularly HVAC systems.
Why HVAC Expertise is Critical in Nuclear Decommissioning
Nuclear decommissioning creates unique HVAC challenges that require specialized knowledge and skills. Filtration, ventilation, and air-handling equipment in nuclear plants are essential to containment integrity, radiation protection, and fire safety. A single failure in HVAC containment or smoke control can compromise operator safety or allow uncontrolled release of hazardous materials.
The decommissioning process involves decontaminating the facility to reduce residual radioactivity, dismantling the structures, removing contaminated materials to appropriate disposal facilities and releasing the property for other uses. Throughout this process, maintaining proper air quality, contamination control, and worker safety requires sophisticated HVAC systems and the expertise to maintain them.
Nuclear decommissioning projects seek engineers in multiple disciplines, including Mechanical (HVAC & Piping), highlighting the critical role HVAC professionals play in these complex operations.
Growing Demand for Nuclear HVAC Specialists
The nuclear decommissioning industry is experiencing unprecedented growth. The decommissioning sector will offer both job security and career opportunities for people entering the industry now, and for the foreseeable future. There is an immediate need to have an increased workforce in place to decommission the growing number of ageing reactors now reaching the end of their life spans, and the industry needs to prepare for the future, when the decommissioning sector is expected to boom and create even greater demand for science and engineering professionals.
SMART members are employed at the largest and most productive nuclear power plants and decontamination sites in the country, and SMART operates a Nuclear, Hazardous Material and Power Plant Council with 30 Local Unions participating. The Nuclear Council’s mission is to meet the nuclear industry’s need for skilled trades by developing specialized curriculum for trainees on nuclear facility construction, HVAC systems for containment buildings, radiation shielding, and safety protocols.
Local HVAC Market Opportunities
Plymouth County’s HVAC job market is thriving, with 68 open jobs for Hvac technician in Plymouth and 166 HVAC jobs available in Plymouth, MA on Indeed.com. The nuclear decommissioning project adds a specialized dimension to these opportunities, requiring technicians who can work in highly regulated environments with stringent safety protocols.
The specialized nature of nuclear HVAC work often commands premium wages. Current job postings show Direct Hire Opportunity – HVAC Design Engineer positions actively being recruited for nuclear facilities, demonstrating the ongoing demand for qualified professionals.
Dempsey Energy: Your Local HVAC Partner
For Plymouth County residents and businesses seeking reliable HVAC services during this period of industrial transformation, Dempsey Energy is a family-owned company that began in 1992. Since 2001, we have served the Hanover region, providing quality air conditioning services. We serve Plymouth County, with a focus on family and community values. We’re not just an HVAC company in Plymouth; we’re your neighbors.
Dempsey Energy is a company that values family and community, with the same values we started with: reliability, transparency, and showing up when others don’t. Our technicians are NATE-certified and use fully stocked trucks to handle repairs promptly.
Whether you need residential or commercial HVAC services Plymouth County,MA, we bring over 30 years of expertise and a commitment to your comfort and satisfaction. Explore our service area on the map to see if we’re in your neighborhood, and let us show you why we’re the trusted choice for homeowners across the region.
Career Pathways and Training Opportunities
The nuclear decommissioning field offers excellent career advancement opportunities. Engineers, scientists and other professionals specialized in decommissioning possess competencies that are transferable to other parts of the nuclear life cycle, including the design, construction and operation of the nuclear installation. Young people with expertise and experience in decommissioning have many opportunities in other industries as well. The ability to manage projects, obtain the technical expertise required for waste management, and understand the impact of pollutants on the environment is invaluable in the environmental sector and within various domains in the technology industry.
For HVAC professionals interested in nuclear work, specialized certifications are essential. SMART members dispatched to perform safety-sensitive functions at nuclear plants obtain third-party certification including fire and smoke damper technicians (FSD), smoke control systems technician (SCS), and testing, adjusting, and balancing (TAB) technicians. The TAB certification demonstrates that a sheet metal worker is qualified to perform testing and maintenance on containment and nuclear air cleaning systems, and the certifications demonstrate competence in control room and life-safety systems which enables compliance with NRC requirements.
Looking Ahead: Long-Term Impact
The Pilgrim decommissioning project represents just the beginning of a nationwide trend. It is estimated that between 12 and 15 per cent of nuclear power reactors currently in operation will be retired by 2030, creating sustained demand for specialized HVAC professionals.
Demolition of the reactor building at Pilgrim is scheduled to begin in 2031, ensuring that HVAC workforce opportunities will continue throughout the decade. EDA awarded a $3.8 million Assistance to Nuclear Closure Communities grant to the town of Plymouth in 2021. This infrastructure project was designed to provide more capacity and make water infrastructure improvements needed to attract new business development and private investment to create jobs in the region.
For HVAC professionals in Plymouth County, the nuclear decommissioning project offers a unique opportunity to develop specialized skills, earn premium wages, and contribute to one of the most significant industrial projects in Massachusetts history. As the industry continues to evolve, those who invest in nuclear-specific training and certifications will find themselves well-positioned for long-term career success in this growing field.