Related Links: Senate Blocks Keystone Pipeline Plan Construction Groups Slam Delay in Keystone Pipeline Decision Backers of the Keystone XL Pipeline are not discouraged by the Nov. 18 Senate defeat of a bill to allow the project to proceed. They expect the Republican majority in the next Congress to vote for approval. Still, the controversial project has some hurdles to clear.TransCanada Corp. proposed the 1,179-mile, $8-billion KXL project in 2005 to transport 830,000 barrels of oil per day from Hardisty, Alberta, to a connection in Nebraska with its existing Keystone Pipeline system, which delivers Canadian heavy oil to the U.S.
The state of Maryland is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court decision last June that labeled as unconstitutional a state order requiring utilities to support construction of a 725-MW power plant in Waldorf.In a Nov. 26 petition to the high court, state regulators contend that the ruling impedes Maryland's ability to manage its power supply.The Maryland Public Service Commission in 2012 required state-based utilities to sign 20-year contracts with Competitive Power Ventures, the plant’s developer, to support construction of the project.Two utilities, PPL and Public Service Enterprise Group, challenged the commission order in federal court.The
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
Enlarge ENR Chinese dam building on Tsangpo River has India concerned about water diversion impacts. India has decided to launch a detailed investigation into whether the Brahmaputra River is at serious risk for flash floods due to dams the Chinese are building on the waterway's upper reaches in the country's Tibetan region.Delhi is worried because China has built one dam on Yarlung Tsangpo, the Chinese name of the Brahmaputra, and has started on two others in what could be a five-dam package.“We are going to study all aspects of the Brahmaputra to determine the potential risks involved,” Indian Minister V.K.
Essar Steel Contractors were absent for most of 2014 from the future Essar Steel iron-ore-crushing plant, sited in Nashwauk, Minn. In Nashwauk, Minn., construction activity is bustling as workers race to pour concrete and erect steel at the first U.S. iron-ore processing facility to be owned by India’s largest steel producer, Essar Group.The project broke ground in 2008. However, recently, the jobsite had been dead for months, with the owner facing mechanics' liens from contractors and a troubled future. The situation took a positive turn in early October, when Essar reported closing a mix of private-equity and debt deals needed
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
Photo by AP Wideworld Improved lighting, such as the LED lamps in Houston's NRG stadium (above), is an easily achieved EE goal that pays off quickly. Related Links: Fulfill the Promise of Building Energy Performance IEA 2014 Energy Efficiency Market Report Energy efficiency "represents the most important plank in efforts to decarbonize the global energy system and achieve the world's climate objectives," said International Energy Agency officials in the body's second annual report on the energy- efficiency market, released in October.One measure of energy efficiency (EE) is energy intensity, or the ratio of energy consumption to another metric, such as
+ Image Related Links: 2013 DIRT Report One-Call Centers Avoid Disasters, But Only If Excavator Dials 811, Study Says Incidents of damage to buried utility lines during excavation work dropped by about 5% last year compared to 2012, according to the 2013 Damage Implementation Reporting Tool Report, released this month by the Common Ground Alliance. There were 335,000 excavation-damage incidents last year compared to 675,000 in 2004, estimates CGA's tenth annual DIRT Report.In addition, while construction spending increased by 7.4% from 2012 to 2013, there were 15,000 fewer incidents. "Locate utilities requests" made via toll-free 811 calls, which are directed
Related Links: Full BNEF Report on EPC Sector A new report suggests contractors that provide engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services in the renewable sector will need to adapt to a more competitive market.While the market is expected to double by 2021, the scarcity of large utility-scale projects will potentially require the largest EPC firms to change their business models, concludes the report, released Oct. 14 from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) and Cohn Reznick, a tax and accounting firm with a renewable energy practice.Michael De Capua, head of analysis in the Americas for BNEF, says, "In an environment in
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