Photo by Shaw Group; courtesy SCANA Corp.

At the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station project in Jenkinsville, S.C., the heavy lift derrick was constructed and underwent load testing while excavation began on the Unit 3 site.

The nonresidential category provided the greatest boost as its monthly total of $207.6 million was more than double that of a year ago. Residential contracts were up 18%, for a $356.1-million total.

The nonbuilding category, which includes infrastructure projects, fell 42% in value during May, however, recording just $44.6 million in new work.

For the year-to-date through May, South Carolina’s building markets are decidedly mixed. Nonresidential contracts are estimated at $920.3 million through the first five months of the year, or 20% lower than a year ago. Residential is up 24%, however, with an estimated $1.6 billion of housing contracts having started so far this year.

McGraw-Hill Construction estimates South Carolina’s nonbuilding category at nearly $9 billion for the year, with most of that figure the result of a new nuclear power project.

Overall, South Carolina’s 2012 contracts total is estimated at $11.5 billion.