As the BP (NYSE: BP) oil spill drags into a fourth month of gushing black gold, the nuclear industry is gearing up to reduce our need for fossil fuels.

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) recently agreed to terms on federal financing for two new reactors in Georgia, for example. If the project goes off as planned, it'll be the first new nuclear installation approved in three decades. Construction will create 3,500 jobs over the next six or seven years as Shaw Group (Nasdaq: SHAW) moves in the heavy machinery; 800 permanent jobs will keep the facility running once the work is done. Even if the energy source itself wasn't a big draw, reactor projects have the political pull of real economic stimulus on the local level.

Similar stories are playing out across the country, from a single proposed DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) reactor in Michigan to a double installation sponsored in my own Floridian backyard by Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN). About 20 reactors are going through license approvals on at least 12 different sites.

Most of these projects started years ago thanks to incentives promised by the previous White House administration, but the oil spill can only hasten the process as public opinion swings with major disasters. This could be the oil industry's Three Mile Island, spurring untold advances in alternative energy installations such as nuclear reactors.

This shift in America's energy direction looks like great news for companies in the business of designing or building nuclear reactors. Each project is a multi-billion-dollar opportunity for construction giants including Shaw and McDermott International (NYSE: MDR). Parts suppliers are generally huge conglomerates: General Electric (NYSE: GE) is a big name and Toshiba the main competition. Any of these nuclear options could make a great addition to a long-term portfolio, and if the current trend swings continue much longer, the upside looks even better.

Would you go nuclear, solar, or just wait for cold fusion instead? Discuss in the comments below.