Concerned that the Mississippi Supreme Court's mid-March decision to throw out the regulatory approval the state's Public Service Commission had granted Mississippi Power's $2.4-billion-plus integrated gasification combined-cycle project nearly two years ago, the PSC held a special meeting March 30 at which two of its three members voted to grant the project a "temporary" certificate.
After reaching an agreement with the Sierra Club in mid-December, LS Power has canceled its 1,200-MW Longleaf coal project in Washington County, Ga., and delayed by at least five years development of its 665-MW Plum Point 2 coal project near Osceola, Ark.
Florida Office of the Public Counsel Kelly says utility apparently mismanaged steam generator replacement project. Courtesy Progress Energy's Florida Public Service Commisssion public filing Root-cause analysis report by Performance Improvement International identified seven factors contributing to delamination, including tendon stresses and detensioning sequence. Related Links: Florida Utility: No Way To Predict Nuke Plant Cracking Japanese Disaster Puts Focus On U.S. Powerplant Problems Florida’s Public Counsel J.R. Kelly calls the separation of a concrete wall at Progress Energy Florida’s Crystal River-3 nuclear unit “a huge construction negligence case,” and says that Progress does not appear to have been very prudent in
Photo courtesy of Weill Cornell Medical College Weill Cornells new medical research building is set for completion in 2014. The U.S. market for education-related construction remains in the doldrums due to the weak economy and still-tightening state and local budgets, say representatives of many public school districts, colleges and universities.But there are rays of hope. Some localities that have suffered less from the economic bust continue to fund major projects, and numerous higher-education jobs are advancing to construction thanks in large part to private-sector donations.Dwindling DollarsHowever, much of the news is bleak. “In our current five-year capital spending plan we
MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company 2011 / Scott Sinklier RISING MARKET The production tax credit, set to expire in 2012, is spurring wind-farm construction. The expiration of the federal production tax credit for renewable energy, scheduled to take effect at the end of 2012, is spurring a boomlet in the construction of wind farms.The federal production tax credit (PTC), an important economic incentive for developers of renewable-energy facilities, provides wind-farm owners with a 2.2¢/kWh tax credit for wind power generated during the first 10 years of a facility's operation. However, the legislation under which the PTC was most recently extended—the American
Photo Courtesy of Penn State University / Steven Rubin Firms say the transmission build-out across the U.S. will take years to design and build. The U.S. transmission-line construction business is in the early stages of what may well turn out to be a 10- or even 20-year boom, according to transmission designers, contractors, electric utilities and independent transmission companies.“We're looking at a decade or more of double-digit annual growth in power delivery services,” which includes work not only transmission lines but also on substations and lower-voltage distribution lines, says Don Mundy, senior vice president in Overland Park, Kan.-based Black &
Texas is poised for an unprecedented boom in the construction of high-voltage transmission lines. Photo: Courtesy of U.S. DOE The Lone Star State is reviewing $9 billion worth of transmission-line projects. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is reviewing some $9 billion in transmission projects that would add 7,866 miles of new lines in west Texas, the Texas panhandle and other parts of the state over the next five years, ERCOT says in planning reports filed on Dec. 30 at the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT). The planned projects include more than 2,000 miles of new 345-kV transmission lines
The fast-growing power needs of emerging economies, the “nuclear renaissance,” and the push for more renewables are creating a booming worldwide market for new power generation facilities. Most opportunities, however, are outside the U.S., which is still suffering from a tepid economy and regulatory uncertainty. Photo: Courtesy of Black & Veatch The expansion of Indonesia’s Tanjung Jati B coal station reflects the continuing growth of coal projects in developing countries. Related Links: Overview: Finding Work in Tough Times View Complete Global Sourcebook with Rankings General Building: Firms Say World Market Is Thawing, Albeit Slowly Transportation: Asia Bright Light in Otherwise
This year was better than 2009 for the companies that design, equip and build major projects for the worldwide oil and natural-gas industry, and all indications are that 2011 will bring further improvement, though the boom times of a few years ago have yet to return. Photo: Courtesy of KBR KBR is providing design and procurement for a deepwater offshore facility in the Caspian Sea. Related Links: Overview: Finding Work in Tough Times View Complete Global Sourcebook with Rankings General Building: Firms Say World Market Is Thawing, Albeit Slowly Transportation: Asia Bright Light in Otherwise Dim Sector Power: Growing Demand
The sagging economy has kept down the number of education-related design and construction projects, but many school districts, colleges and universities facing critical needs are forging ahead with major projects. Photo: Courtesy of Clemson University Despite various challenges, Clemson University is moving forward with a $31-million expansion and renovation of one of its buildings, Lee Hall, partially funded with stimulus dollars. Related Links: The Top Owners Sourcebook Complete Report Overview: No Quick Fix For Battered Market Roads & Bridges: Lack of Long-Term Funds Stymies Local DOTs Aviation: Despite Economic Uptick, Aviation Sector Grounded Health Care: Down Economy Creates Buyer�s Market