Understanding Disputes In US Nuclear Power Plant Construction Projects: Common Causes And Their Interconnections

Abstract

Nuclear energy remains a critical component of the US and global energy mix, with many new projects planned due to its ability to provide large amounts of reliable, carbon-free electricity. However, nuclear power plant (NPP) construction projects involve unique risks and complexities that have long hindered their progress and led to disputes with significant consequences. Despite extensive research on construction disputes in various sectors, studies focusing specifically on NPP projects are limited. The goal of this paper is to address this gap by investigating the causes of disputes specific to NPP projects. To achieve this, the authors collected and analyzed 42 US court-filed litigation cases related to NPP construction and applied social network analysis (SNA) to visualize interrelationships among dispute causes and identify the most central ones. The results identified 30 causes of disputes across certain areas, such as contractual issues, design deficiencies, regulatory and safety hurdles, and pre-project planning shortfalls. SNA highlighted delays and cost overruns as central in disputes and frequently co-occurring with many other causes in NPP projects. These findings provide data-driven insights to help NPP stakeholders implement proactive measures to mitigate disputes, such as early engagement with regulatory authorities, ultimately supporting more effective project delivery.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Construction Disputes; Litigation; Network Analysis; Nuclear Energy; Regulation

International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

978-078448698-6

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2026 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2026

Link to Full Text

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