Chemicals, Pharma-Biotech Take Spotlight in Pennsylvania's $31 Billion of Active Projects

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Pennsylvania is one of the most industrialized states in the U.S. Northeast. Thanks to the Marcellus Shale, the state has plentiful reserves of natural gas that can be used as feedstock for chemical plants and fuel for power generation. The Pharmaceutical-Biotech Industry also has a strong showing in the state, accounting for more than $6 billion in active projects, compared with the Chemical Processing Industry's $7.1 billion.

Click on the image at right for a breakdown by industry of active projects in Pennsylvania with a medium and high probability (70%-99%) of moving forward as planned.

Among the state's largest and most publicized projects is Royal Dutch Shell's (NYSE:RDS-A) (The Hague, Netherlands) Franklin ethylene and derivatives plant in Monaca. The U.S. has become a leading producer of ethylene using natural gas as feedstock, and Shell is capitalizing on this by placing its plant in the heart of the Marcellus. Construction on the ethylene plant began in early 2017, followed by the downstream units later. Downstream units under construction include a gas-phased, high-density polyethylene (HDPE) unit, a slurry HDPE unit and a linear low-density polyethylene unit. Shell temporarily suspended construction in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, but gradually ramped up the number of workers as the state reopened. The units are expected to be completed in the summer of 2022. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Chemical Processing Project Database can click here for a list of related projects.

While construction on natural gas-fired power plants has slowed in recent years, at least one is in the late engineering stage and is planned to kick off construction in the next few months in Pennsylvania. Renovo Rail Industries LLC (Renovo, Pennsylvania) will construct the 1,240-megawatt (MW) combined-cycle plant at a former railyard site in Renovo, near the center of the state. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection approved the project's construction and development plans and issued an air quality permit earlier this year. Bechtel Corporation (Reston, Virginia) is the construction management firm on the project, which is planned for completion in the summer of 2023. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Power Project Database can click here for the project report.

In addition to two other natural gas-fired power projects, solar power also is gaining ground in the state. Among Pennsylvania's active projects in this sector is Apex Clean Energy Incorporated's (Charlottesville, Virginia) Swiftwater photovoltaic plant in Mount Pocono, on the eastern side of the state. The facility will use approximately 240,000 solar modules to generate 80 MW. Construction is planned to kick off in the first quarter of next year, for completion in the fourth quarter. DEPCOM Power Incorporated (Scottsdale, Arizona) is providing engineering, procurement and construction services. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

The Pharmaceutical-Biotech Industry also has a growing presence in Pennsylvania. Among the state's Pharma-Biotech projects under construction is Brandywine Reality Trust's (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) grassroot West Tower at Schuykill Yards in Philadelphia. The project entails constructing a 28-story, 570,000-square-foot building equipped for tenants involved in the life sciences sector. Construction began earlier this year and is expected to take about two years to complete. Hunter Roberts Construction Group (Philadelphia) is the construction management firm. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Pharma-Biotech Project Database can click here for a detailed project report.

Other projects underway include Sanofi Group's (Paris, France) modifications and installation of processing equipment to increase production capacity of vaccines at its plant in Swiftwater, on the eastern side of the state. Construction began last year and is expected to be completed next summer. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, 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. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn.