July 27, 2026

Check out the July 27, 2026 edition of ENR, featuring a Balance of Power: Demand, technology and incentives make battery storage a game-changer for reliable clean energy, news and more!

chart highlighting utility readiness to meet water needs

Water Infrastructure

PFAS, Project Funding Are Key Woes as Drinking Water Providers Convene

Pam McFarland

June 30, 2026

No Comments

Utilities and industry grappled with multiple demands, from 'forever chemical' remediation to funding shortfalls, at American Water Works Association annual meetingheld June 22-24

Disaster Recovery

On the Ground, Engineers Assess Damage in Venezuela Earthquake Zone

Jeff Rubenstone

July 10, 2026

No Comments

Structural engineers checked extent of damage to buildings in northern Venezuela following last month's earthquakes, offering insights on construction types that best weathered the event.

Nuclear Power

Firms Scale Facilities to Produce More US, European Enriched Uranium Privately

Jim Parsons

July 7, 2026

No Comments

Centrus Energy finalizes contract for $1B HALEU plant build in Ohio with Fluor as EPC, while Urenco USA eyes 2027 start of big expansion in New Mexico .

Rendering of the Greenlight Electricity Centre combined-cycle natural gas power plant planned for Sturgeon County, Alberta.

Energy Construction

Aecon Wins $1.2B EPC Contract for Alberta Gas-Fired Power Plant

Canada contractor-led consortium will build first phase of the 932-MW Greenlight Electricity Centre

Bryan Gottlieb

July 7, 2026

No Comments

Aecon $1.2B EPC award launches construction of Alberta's Greenlight power project, the first phase of a major generating station built for data center demand.

Government

Builders Await Implementation Plans as Landmark Housing Bill Becomes Law

Backed by overwhelming bipartisan congressional support, legislation takes effect without the president’s sign-off

Esther D'Amico

July 14, 2026

No Comments

Construction eyes next steps for federal agencies in developing guidelines and establishing the regulatory framework to implement the massive, recently enacted housing bill.

Rail

California High-Speed Rail Authority Eyes Next $2.4B Phase

RFQ process begins for 30-mile Merced-to-Madera alignment

Greg Aragon

July 1, 2026

No Comments

A collaborative project delivery method is expected, along with a P3 for a planned parallel clean energy utility.

Photo of the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia.

Government

US Nuclear Agency Proposes to Expedite Nuclear Facility Construction Approaches

Pam McFarland

July 8, 2026

No Comments

NRC says proposals will revamp regulatory requirements for construction starts, modernize public health protections and reduce plants' environmental review scope.

Construction equipment and a commemorative slab marking Micron's July 2026 concrete placement in Clay, N.Y.

Manufacturing

Foundation Work Begins on Micron's $100B New York Semiconductor Megafab

Milestone follows Bechtel's EPC mobilization and comes less than six months after groundbreaking

Bryan Gottlieb

July 13, 2026

No Comments

After months of site preparation, crews started placing concrete foundations for the complex's first semiconductor fabrication plant, advancing one of North America's largest industrial construction projects.

Aerial view of DataBank's LGA3 data center campus in Orangeburg, N.Y., with electrical infrastructure and surrounding wooded landscape.

Government

New York Orders Moratorium on Large Data Center Permits

State is first to implement a full halt on new approvals

Bryan Gottlieb

July 14, 2026

No Comments

Builders, utility companies and environmental advocates are weighing consequences after New York launched an unprecedented review that could reshape future AI infrastructure development across the state.

Design-Build Team Selected for Norway's Stad Ship Tunnel

James Leggate

July 1, 2026

No Comments

Construction is expected to begin next year on the first-of-its-kind full-scale ship tunnel, an estimated $870-million project to improve ship traffic on a dangerous stretch of the Norwegian coastline.

LAX People Mover Builders Claim Airport Seeks to Shift Delay and Cost Blame

New lawsuit allegations erupt as system failed to open in time for World Cup matches

Richard Korman

July 15, 2026

No Comments

The Fluor-led construction consortium claims airport and city officials caused critical delays.

World Cup Spotlights LA Airport People Mover's Costly Delay

Fluor-led consortium has butted heads with Los Angeles International Airport for years, county grand jury said

Richard Korman

July 9, 2026

One Comment

The cost overrun is $880 million for the yet to be completed project.

Aerial view of Leslie Dam near Warwick, Queensland, showing the reservoir and concrete spillway.

Water Infrastructure

Queensland Utility Awards $165M Stage 1 Contract for Toowoomba-Warwick Pipeline

Australian contractors will start work later this year on first segment featuring 64 waterway crossings and multiple trenchless installations

Bryan Gottlieb

July 9, 2026

No Comments

A first contract award moves northeast Australian water pipeline closer to construction, with challenging geology and trenchless crossings still ahead.

Companies

Saudi Aramco Awards Five-Year Consulting Contracts to 11 Global Firms

Gary Lakes

July 8, 2026

No Comments

Worley, Fluor, Wood and McDermott International are among 11 companies selected to support Saudi Aramco’s multi-billion-dollar program to expand the mostly government owned firm's oil and gas output and infrastructure.

Equipment

John Deere Settles Agriculture Right-to-Repair Antitrust Lawsuit for $99M

Company still faces a similar lawuit for the right to repair construction and forestry equipment.

Jeff Yoders

July 8, 2026

No Comments

John Deere agreed to settle antitrust lawsuit and pledged $99 million and all necessary assistance to let customers repair their own farm equipment without going to Deere dealers.

Environmental Settlement

Keystone Successor Firm Pays $70M to Settle Giant 2022 Kansas Pipe Spill

Federal decree comes as new Canada oil pipeline owner gains US permission for midwest line extension

Debra K. Rubin

July 14, 2026

No Comments

Federal consent decree comes as new Canadian owner South Bow gains US permission for a line extension in the Midwest.

Worker inspects a buckled structural member inside the former Pfizer headquarters conversion in Midtown Manhattan.

Forensic Engineering

How Engineers Will Determine Why NYC's Pfizer HQ Conversion Buckled

Structural engineers, construction lawyers and risk specialists explain how major structural failures are analyzed before investigators reach conclusions

Bryan Gottlieb

July 8, 2026

One Comment

After the NYC Pfizer building conversion buckled, what happens next? Leading experts in their fields map out what a complex structural failure examination looks like.

Tunnel Boring Machine Prepared for $360M NH Stormwater Tunnel

Testing and commissioning is underway for TBM to drill a stormwater tunnel in Manchester, N.H.

Johanna Knapschaefer

July 14, 2026

No Comments

Granite Janet, a 281-ton tunnel boring machine, arrived on an oversized truck at a parking lot beside the Queen City Bridge in Manchester, N.H. late last month as the $360 million Cemetery Brook Drain Tunnel project team prepares for its launch in August.

Pipelines

Great Lakes Tunnel Project in Michigan Secures Needed Permits

Costs for oil-gas pipeline project, estimated at $500M in 2018, have risen to at least $750M and likely much more, one study notes

Annemarie Mannion

July 16, 2026

No Comments

The pipeline under the Strait of Mackinac has been delayed by legal battles, with one report showing the price tag has increased from $500 million in 2018 to more than $750 million.

Rendering of the planned Penn Station reconstruction above proposed track-level improvements.

Transportation

FRA Proposal Would Replace 115 Columns to Unlock Penn Station Capacity

Track, platform and circulation improvements would reshape train operations beneath Madison Square Garden

Bryan Gottlieb

July 16, 2026

No Comments

Targeted upgrades could boost rail throughput and preserve future expansion in NYC.

Remaining sections of Genoa's Morandi Bridge after the 2018 collapse that killed 43 people.

Criminal Trial

Italian Court Convicts 32 in Morandi Bridge Collapse Case

Former Autostrade per l'Italia CEO Giovanni Castellucci receives 12 years as judges assign responsibility across inspection, design and public oversight

Bryan Gottlieb

July 17, 2026

No Comments

Nearly eight years after the disaster, judges outlined how inspection failures, abandoned strengthening plans and oversight breakdowns shaped Italy's biggest infrastructure criminal prosecution.

Water Infrastructure

Water Resources Bills Advance in House and Senate

Final vote on Water Resources Development Act advanced funding measure may come before August congressional recess

Pam McFarland

July 15, 2026

No Comments

Provisions include increased spending for drinking water infrastructure and streamlining U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' processes.

Construction History

From the Archives: November 24, 1966

Scott Lewis

July 22, 2026

No Comments

This 1966 cover image depicts the erection of a county building complex in Santa Cruz, Calif., using Vierendeel trusses.

Information Technology

Suffolk Technologies, DPR Invest in AI-based Hiring Platform Skillit

Startup also has backing from MetaProp and other VCs interested in finding more craft workers for mission critical projects

Jeff Yoders

July 2, 2026

No Comments

Skillit is bringing artificial intelligence to the idea of a skilled labor platform for the trades.

New York's moratorium on data center permits is misguided.

Opinion

New York's Unneeded Data Center Permit Pause Stalls Progress

Bryan Gottlieb

July 21, 2026

No Comments

A commentary on New York's data center permitting moratorium and the harm it does.

Industrial Leads for the Week of July 27, 2026

July 22, 2026

No Comments

Information derived from Industrial Reports, a market intelligence firm specializing in industrial construction and equipment leads.

Construction Economics for July 27, 2026

July 22, 2026

No Comments

ENR’s 20-city average cost indexes, wages and materials prices. Historical data and details for ENR’s 20 cities can be found at ENR.com/economics

Live: August 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM EDT Brought to you from ENR's 2026 Groundbreaking Women in Construction conference, this panel discussion will highlight the journey of several women leaders in the construction industry, looking at how their rise to the C-suite has had a ripple effect in creating more opportunities for women.

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News

PFAS, Project Funding Are Key Woes as Drinking Water Providers Convene

On the Ground, Engineers Assess Damage in Venezuela Earthquake Zone

Firms Scale Facilities to Produce More US, European Enriched Uranium Privately

Aecon Wins $1.2B EPC Contract for Alberta Gas-Fired Power Plant

Builders Await Implementation Plans as Landmark Housing Bill Becomes Law

California High-Speed Rail Authority Eyes Next $2.4B Phase

US Nuclear Agency Proposes to Expedite Nuclear Facility Construction Approaches

Foundation Work Begins on Micron's $100B New York Semiconductor Megafab

New York Orders Moratorium on Large Data Center Permits

Design-Build Team Selected for Norway's Stad Ship Tunnel

LAX People Mover Builders Claim Airport Seeks to Shift Delay and Cost Blame

World Cup Spotlights LA Airport People Mover's Costly Delay

Queensland Utility Awards $165M Stage 1 Contract for Toowoomba-Warwick Pipeline

Saudi Aramco Awards Five-Year Consulting Contracts to 11 Global Firms

John Deere Settles Agriculture Right-to-Repair Antitrust Lawsuit for $99M

Keystone Successor Firm Pays $70M to Settle Giant 2022 Kansas Pipe Spill

How Engineers Will Determine Why NYC's Pfizer HQ Conversion Buckled

Tunnel Boring Machine Prepared for $360M NH Stormwater Tunnel

Great Lakes Tunnel Project in Michigan Secures Needed Permits

FRA Proposal Would Replace 115 Columns to Unlock Penn Station Capacity

Italian Court Convicts 32 in Morandi Bridge Collapse Case

Water Resources Bills Advance in House and Senate

Departments

From the Archives: November 24, 1966

Suffolk Technologies, DPR Invest in AI-based Hiring Platform Skillit

New York's Unneeded Data Center Permit Pause Stalls Progress

Industrial Leads for the Week of July 27, 2026

Construction Economics

Construction Economics for July 27, 2026

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