A first-of-its-kind natural-gas-fired power plant that will emit no greenhouse gases is now under construction near Houston, and its commercialization is being financed in part by engineering-procurement-construction contractor CB&I, with the hope CB&I will be the go-to builder for larger versions of the plant in the future.
Propelled by powerful and complementary forces, the U.S. renewables market is in the early stages of a multiyear period of sustained development and construction activity that may come to be viewed as the golden age of wind and solar power.
Related Links: Southern Co. Refuels Coal Fleet With Gas Mississippi Energy Co-Op Pulls 15% Stake in $6B gasification power projectMississippi Power is "still evaluating" next steps after the South Mississippi Electric Power Association, a statewide energy cooperative with 11 member utilities, said it will halt its plan to buy a 15% interest in the 582-MW Kemper County integrated gasification combined-cycle project, a spokesman said on June 1.SMEPA directors voted on May 20 "to end pursuit" of its stake in the project, whose estimated cost has doubled to more than $6 billion and whose likely commercial operation has stretched two years,
Photo Courtesy of Dow Dow Chemical has several major projects near Freeport, Texas, coming on line by 2017. Enlarge Click to enlarge. Related Links: Sasol Ethane Cracker Job Starts Despite Gas-to-Liquids Delay AGC Survey Cites Worse Shortages and Added Quality Concerns The upheaval in world energy markets over the past year has not really hurt petrochemical projects in the U.S. and Canada, according to petchem owners, engineers and contractors. If anything, they say, owner decisions to delay or stretch out the construction of a few petchem projects have eased concerns about skilled-worker shortages and project cost inflation and prompted talk
Related Links: Private Investment Drives Wind, Solar Projects in California House-Passed Tax 'Extenders' Bill Aids Multiemployer Pension Plans, Renewable Energy Thanks to soon-to-expire tax incentives and the increasing cost-competitiveness of renewable sources of energy, 2015 is shaping up as perhaps the best year ever for wind-farm construction and new, utility-scale solar projects.Also, the variable nature of wind- and solar-energy output is spurring development of battery-storage projects designed to make renewables a more reliable element of the nation's electricity system."The wind-power market continues to grow and is on target to become the leading source of new energy in the country—[expected] to
Photo Courtesy of Spectra Energy Last fall, Spectra Energy crews completed the Texas Eastern Appalachia to Market project. Photo Courtesy of Quanta Services Mears HDD, a Quanta Services company, prepares to install pipe at a job in Maryland. Related Links: Pipeline Specialists Profit From Safety, Not Shale Boom Bakken Oil-Shale Extraction Sparks a Construction Boom Welder Shortfall Fires Up Industry Training Programs to Work Overtime Collapsing crude oil prices and sagging prices for natural gas have left the North American energy sector reeling and led many hydrocarbon producers to plan sizable cutbacks in their 2015 drilling plans. But thanks to
Photo Courtesy of Heath Consulting Firms say devices already exist to detect escaping methane and will be necessary for compliance with any regulation. Related Links: Fact sheet on White House Plan Datu Research Report on Methane Emissions Technologies and Jobs The Obama administration's proposal to regulate emissions from new and modified oil and natural-gas sources will provide some new work for environmental services companies.That assessment is according to companies that have been working to help oil-and-gas exploration and production companies, pipeline owners and other energy-sector firms identify and mitigate leaks of methane—one of the most potent greenhouse gases. The administration
Related Links: Expansion in Natural Gas Production Spurs Big U.S. Export Plans CB&I and Chiyoda Win $6 Billion EPC Award for Louisiana LNG Burgeoning U.S. production of crude oil, natural gas and natural-gas liquids is spurring thousands of construction projects—from site-access roads to pipelines to LNG export terminals—and keeping engineers and contractors with appropriate experience busier than they have been in years.That was a key takeaway from ENR's second annual Energy Construction Summit, a one-day conference in Houston that convened energy-sector owners and the design and construction professionals that make their projects a reality.The conference featured speakers and panelists who
Photo Courtesy of Cheniere Energy Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass project will generate more than 3,000 jobs during peak construction. Initial shipments are expected by 2016. Photo Courtesy of Freeport LNG Gulf Coast liquefaction plant, originally conceived as an LNG import complex, is undergoing an overhaul and upgrade to convert Freeport's facility into an LNG export terminal. Related Links: Batteries Set To Put Big Charge Into Energy Storage Clean Coal: Is Carbon Capture and Storage Fossil Fuels' Best Hope? Fluor JV Wins Giant Canada LNG Project CB&I and Chiyoda Win $6 Billion EPC Award for Louisiana LNG Shale-gas Project Boom Drives
