Greater Houston Area Lines Up $9.8 Billion in Industrial Project Starts for 2012

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The 10-county greater Houston, Texas, area, which includes Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery and Wharton counties, has 234 major industrial projects scheduled to begin construction this year, representing more than $9.8 billion in total investment value (TIV).

Click on the image at right to view a chart showing the breakdown of 2012 project spending in the Greater Houston area by county.

As can be seen from the chart, Harris County is the leader for industrial project activity this year, with 143 planned project starts totaling more than $5.3 billion. Leading this is the grassroot University Light Rail Line in Houston. Houston's Metropolitan Transit Authority has proposed beginning construction on the line toward the middle of this year, with a planned completion in early 2016. The proposed line would be 11.3 miles long with 19 stations. HDR Incorporated (Omaha, Nebraska) is acting as consultant on the project, while the Houston office of AECOM Technology Corporation (NYSE:ACM) (Los Angeles, California) is performing engineering work. The project has an estimated total investment value of $2.6 billion.

With more than $2.1 billion in planned project starts, neighboring Liberty County follows Harris County in terms of value, although almost all of this value comes in the form of TransCanada Corporation's (NYSE:TRP) beleaguered Keystone XL Pipeline. In January, President Obama rejected the proposed pipeline, which, because it crosses an international border, requires presidential approval. However, TransCanada maintains that this was not a rejection of the pipeline itself, but because Republicans forced the president's hand, attaching the necessary project approval to tax credit and unemployment insurance legistlation, necessitating a decision within 60 days.

In its 2011 earnings press release, issued last week, TransCanada said: "The Company, while disappointed, remains fully committed to the construction of Keystone XL. Plans are already under way on a number of fronts to largely maintain the construction schedule of the project. TransCanada will re-apply for a Presidential Permit and expects a new application would be processed in an expedited manner to allow for an in-service date of early 2015."

In Harris County, two planned projects in La Porte, on the northwestern side of Galveston Bay total more than $1 billion in combined TIV. These projects include the expansion of the Barbours Cut container terminal by the Port of Houston Authority and a grassroot crude oil terminal that will include ship and barge docks, rail facilities and initial storage for 7.8 million barrels of crude oil.

View Project Report - 1011020 1012648 300046302 300036647

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.