The market for developing power- generation facilities in the United States remains weak in mid-2010 as utilities, faced with lagging demand for electricity, continue to put off plans for new plants.
Not all the news is bad, though. Engineering and construction executives say the need for new generating capacity will grow as the economy rebounds and as tightening environmental regulations force the retirement of older coal plants, which will be replaced with new facilities powered by natural-gas or renewable energy sources.