Through most of the past decade, rising demand for electricity in the U.S. led utilities and independent power companies to plan, design and build scores of new powerplants. Photo: Courtesy of International Power Zachry is part of a consortium designing, equipping and building a 650-MW coal plant in Texas. Related Links: Environment: Treatment-Facility Work, Cleanups Bolster Sector General Building: Firms Find Little Respite From Weak Economy Manufacturing/Telecommunications: Tough Market Requires Top-Notch Players Petroleum: Projects Cancelled in Uncertain Climate Transportation: Dearth of Funds Keeps Sector in Doldrums The Top 400 Contractors List With an anemic economic recovery and a focus on
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. Photo: Duke Energy Although the number of coal plants being built is heading down, Duke Energy’s 630-MW integrated gasification/combined-cycle plant in Edwardsport, Ind., is going forward. Related Links: View More on Top 500 Sourcebook 2010 View Complete Top 500 Sourcebook 2010 with Data and Analysis Not all the news is bad, though. Engineering and construction executives say the need for new generating capacity will grow as the economy rebounds
The “greening” of U.S. colleges and universities is presenting opportunities for engineering and construction firms. Increasing numbers of schools that for decades have depended on coal-fired plants for steam and electricity are working to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions by shifting to natural gas and biomass, says Kim Teplitzky, coal campaign coordinator for the Sierra Student Coalition, an adjunct of the Sierra Club. About 60 colleges and universities currently burn coal, she said, but several already are planning to switch to other, cleaner fuels. For example, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May announced that it plans to
In an otherwise troubled time for new coal-fired projects, the Mississippi Public Service Commission has approved Gulfport, Miss.-based Mississippi Power�s plans to build a new 582-MW integrated gasification/combined-cycle plant in Kemper County�but with a $2.88-billion cost cap. Photo: Southern Cos. Regulators set a $2.88-billion construction cap�after an initial $2.4-billion limit�on Mississippi Power�s planned 582-MW plant. The utility owner had asked for $3.2 billion. Mississippi Power plans to complete the Kemper project as soon as 2014, said utility spokeswoman Cindy Duvall. The prime construction contractor will be selected soon, with project construction to be managed by Southern Co. Engineering and Construction
Delays in developing large power projects in Florida are bad news for contractors in a state already hurt by sharp construction downturns, says the Greater Florida Chapter of Associated General Contractors president. Photo: Florida Power and Light Power plans FP&L says Riviera gas plant will proceed on schedule, but nuclear units face delays. Florida’s biggest utilities, Juno Beach-based Florida Power & Light (FP&L) and Progress Energy Florida, “stopped work on everything but the essentials” after the state Public Service Commission (PSC) in January rejected most of the big rate increases the utilities had sought, said Richard Marshall, who also is
Delays in developing large power projects in Florida are bad news for contractors in a state already hurt by sharp construction downturns, says the Greater Florida Chapter of Associated General Contractors president. Photo: Florida Power and Light power plans FP&L says Riviera gas plant will proceed on schedule, but nuclear units face delays. Florida’s biggest utilities, Juno Beach-based Florida Power & Light (FP&L) and Progress Energy Florida, “stopped work on everything but the essentials” after the state Public Service Commission (PSC) in January rejected most of the big rate increases the utilities had sought, said Richard Marshall, who also is
The market for designing and building oil- and natural gas-related projects around the world did not collapse in 2009 as some had feared. But neither did the market expand. While many construction-industry firms working in the petrolem sector experienced booms through most of the past decade, the pace of new-contract signing slowed significantly in late 2008 and the first half of 2009 as economies around the world staggered and oil and gas prices tumbled. Photo: Fluor Fluor’s Trinidad/Tobago Poinsettia platform, nearing completion, is the largest offshore platform ever built in the island republic. Related Links: View more industry sectors from
The nation’s economic downturn has pulled the rug out from under new building and renovation programs at many school districts, colleges and universities. The education construction market has been particularly hard-hit by the collapse of the housing market. The U.S. homebuilding boom, particularly in parts of the Southeast and the Southwest, had been the engine for skyrocketing K-through-12 school enrollment and the resulting need for new schools. Photo: esvants.com Dartmouth’s 175,000-sq-ft life-sciences building is the only current major project at the university. Several other projects have been postponed. Photo: esvants.com California’s troubled economy has led to project delays. Photo: esvants.com
Uncertainty about the nation’s economic future and possible federal legislation on climate change and renewable energy is reshaping the market for building power-generation and transmission projects in the U.S., according to executives at some of the nation’s largest contractors. That uncertainty has led many coal-fired projects to be canceled or put on hold, several natural gas-fired projects to be delayed, and even some wind projects to be put on ice while utilities and independent power companies try to figure how long the recession will last and what Congress ultimately will agree to on a carbon cap-and-trade program and a renewable
Although the power market has taken a hit over the past year, not all the news is bad. The Obama administration’s stimulus plan encourages the development of renewable resources and the rebuilding, expansion and modernization of the nation’s power-delivery network. Photo:AEP Wind and other renewable-energy projects gain traction. Photo: SHAW Coal-fired plants face permit obstacles. Related Links: The Top 500 Design Firms: How Long Will the Recession Last? The Top 500 Design Firms Rankings Optimism in Transportation Sector As Stimulus Provides Stability Design Firms Brace as Bottom Falls Out of Building Market Telecommunications Picks Up While Manufacturing Flounders Global Financial