Nuclear and Auto Projects Catapult South Carolina to the Top of 2012 Planned Construction Starts

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--With the Republican Party primary looming on the horizon and taking up all the "talking head" space in the media, the nation's eyes are fixed on South Carolina. With that in mind, we take a look at the Palmetto State's industrial market, which happens to be very robust. In fact, for 2012 it is the fourth-largest state in the nation for value of planned industrial project starts after California, Texas and Louisiana. This might come as a surprise to some, but South Carolina is attracting all kinds of industrial investment, including nuclear power generation, automotive and Metals & Minerals. According to Industrial Info's North American Industrial Project Spending Database, South Carolina has 143 major industrial projects totaling $18.75 billion scheduled to begin construction in 2012.

BMW of North America Incorporated (Spartanburg, South Carolina) recently announced that it would expand the company's automotive assembly plant in Spartanburg. A $900 million expansion over several years to expand production of the company's X series vehicles will start construction this spring.

Most of the $18.75 billion planned for South Carolina hinges on a massive $15 billion nuclear power project for South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (Columbia, South Carolina). The company began the study and licensing process on the project in 2005. The company is waiting for its combined license approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission before it can begin construction of two new nuclear reactors totaling 2,200 megawatts at the company's Virgil C Summer Nuclear Power Station in Jenkinsville, South Carolina. If construction starts this year, it would continue through 2019.

Combined, the two projects would add 1,800 permanent jobs to the South Carolina economy as well as more than 1,000 temporary jobs related to construction.

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Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.