Courtesy of CHS Inc. Minnesotas CHS Inc., the nations largest agricultural cooperative, has a plant under construction in Shelby, Mont., above, and another under development near Spiritwood, N.D. Related Links: Texas town sues fertilizer supplier after blast Over the past 18 months, an abundance of natural gas and record-breaking commodities prices brightened prospects for engineers and contractors involved in the business of building new fertilizer manufacturing capacity. NPK Fertilizer Advisory Service, St. Louis, recalls dozens of announcements for new plants and capacity expansion during this time, but the market has cooled a bit and industry newcomers could find margins very
State regulators in New Jersey and Maryland are appealing federal court decisions that have challenged the constitutional authority of the states to subsidize the construction of new power generation in their jurisdictions.The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) appealed on Nov. 20 to a federal appellate court in Philadelphia an October district court ruling that had deemed unconstitutional a New Jersey law that allowed the state to subsidize construction of 2,000 MW of natural gas-fired power plants.Board President Robert Hanna would not comment on the appeal because the agency does not comment on pending litigation, said Greg Reinert, a
Phto by AP Wideworld The days may be numbered for coal-fired powerplants, such as the Falkirk plant in Underwood, N.D. Low-cost natural gas and tighter emissions regulations mean future plants will be fired by other fuels. Related Links: Biomass Gaining a Niche as Coal-fired Plants Converted In Finalized Clean Air Rules, EPA Clamps Down on Coal-fired Powerplant Emissions Tightening federal environmental rules and low natural-gas prices are combining to spur the biggest boom in gas-fired powerplant construction in a decade. Scores of utilities and independent power companies across the U.S. are either building or planning new gas-fired units, most of
Public Citizen, a citizens advocacy group, has raised questions about the quality of the construction on the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline, which runs from Cushing, Okla., to refineries along the Gulf Coast of Texas. The segment is expected to begin operating by the end of the year.
Related Links: Shale Plays Pump Up Pipeline Sector The US Shale Boom Is Termed Globally Unique, But With Worldwide Impacts Shale-gas Project Boom Drives Solutions to Shortfalls in Craft, Tech and Management Jobs The U.S. shale oil and natural-gas development boom is spurring tens of billions of dollars in design and construction work, speakers and panelists told attendees at the ENR Energy Construction Summit in Houston on Nov. 15.John Chevrette, president of the management consulting division at Black & Veatch, in his morning keynote address, said the shale boom is already creating large volumes of work for engineers and contractors
photo by AP/wideworld Fatal San Bruno blast in 2010 and the proliferation of large-diameter, high-pressure natural-gas gathering lines in shale-play regions may boost oversight of a largely unregulated industry segment. Related Links: Pipeline Specialists Profit From Safety, Not Shale Boom House Passes Bill to Speed Approval of Natural Gas Pipelines, But Measure Likely Dead in Senate Natural Gas Boom Drives Pipeline Upgrades San Bruno Fire May Cost California Utility More Than $4 Billion Report Cites Problems on Keystone Pipeline Southern Leg As Congress weighs expedited construction of large-diameter natural-gas transmission pipelines, federal and state officials are considering more oversight of
Kiewit Offshore gas-extraction platform used at the Tamar gas field was built at a Kiewit modular site in Texas. Related Links: Israel Seeks First LNG Terminal Builder Offshore Infrastructure Projects Loom in Israel With natural gas set to fuel 80% of Israel's power production by 2020 following the discovery, in 2009, of two large fields off its Mediterranean Sea coast, the country now is pushing to expand storage and transportation infrastructure, both offshore and on land. Despite environmental opposition, billions are set to be invested.Israel's National Planning Commission on Nov. 11 cleared two projects in central and northern Israel to
Courtesy Georgia Power Unite 4 concrete mat will serve as the foundation for all of the nuclear island structures, including the containment vessel and the shield building. Related Links: Vogtle Nuke Plant Builders Face Rising Cost Pressures Vogtle Suppliers Continue to Miss the Mark for Quality Control Workers at the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion project on Nov. 21 completed placement of basemat structural concrete for the nuclear island at Unit 4, according to plant owner/operator Georgia Power. The utility called the placement "a significant accomplishment in the construction of the project."Georgia Power, which owns 45.7% of the two planned 1,117-MW
Israel Electric Smokestack removal was a condition for building a new natural-gas-fired powerplant at the site of a 60s-era oil-burning power station in Haifa. In a first of a kind operation in Israel, two 80-meter-high smokestacks at a Haifa power plant built in the 1960s have been dismantled by utilty Israel Electric Corp.The facility was replaced by a $750-million combined cycle plant supplied by Siemans that came on line last year. Its two units are 370 MW each.The oil-burning smokestacks at the original 140-MW Haifa Power Station were, for decades, among the most visible landmarks in the skyline of the
Rosatom The Russian Federation hopes its nuclear-building efforts, such as its Baltic NPP reactor near the Lithuanian border, will help support a new era of infrastructure. Related Links: Russian Rail Link to North Korea Rebuilt Worldwide Workflow Is Growing As An Industry Project Norm Global Best Projects Winner, Power Industrial: CCPP Yajva State District Powerplant, Perm, Russia Twin Spans Set a New Pace in Russia's Far East Relentless scrutiny of troubled projects for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and efforts to grow Russia's energy exports have resulted in the country forming, on Nov. 5, a national Construction, Housing and Utilities
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