J.M. Bernhard, Jr., Shaw's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Our Board has authorized this repurchase to demonstrate our confidence in this Country's financial markets, and the Company's position as an industry leader. The Board recognizes that, depending on market conditions and other factors, the repurchase of company shares provides an excellent opportunity to increase shareholder value."

Repurchases will be made in accordance with applicable securities laws in the open market and/or in block transactions, from time to time, depending on market conditions, and may be discontinued at any time.

The Shaw Group Inc. is the world's only vertically integrated provider of complete piping systems and comprehensive engineering, procurement and construction services to the power generation industry. Shaw is the largest supplier of fabricated piping systems in the United States and a leading supplier worldwide, having installed piping systems in power plants with an aggregate generation capacity in excess of 200,000 megawatts. While the majority of Shaw's backlog is attributable to the power generation industry, the Company also does work in the process industries, including petrochemical, chemical and refining, and the environmental and infrastructure sector. The Company currently has offices and operations in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific; and has more than 13,000 employees. For more information on The Shaw Group, please visit the Company's website at www.shawgrp.com.

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for certain forward-looking statements. The statements contained herein that are not historical facts (including without limitation statements to the effect that the Company or its management "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "plans," or other similar expressions) and statements related to revenues, earnings, backlog, or other financial information or results are forward-looking statements based on the Company's current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the Company. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be those anticipated by the Company. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and assumptions and are subject to change based upon various factors. Should one or more of such risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. A description of some of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements can be found in the Company's reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, reports and on the Company's web-site at www.shawgrp.com under the heading "Forward Looking Statement". These documents are available from the Securities and Exchange Commission or from the Investor Relations department of Shaw.

CONTACT:          The Shaw Group Inc., Baton Rouge
                  Christine N. Mollere, 225/932-2500