Metals, Chemicals and Pharma Dominate Quebec's First-Quarter 2016 Project Kickoffs

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Metals & Minerals, Chemical Processing and Pharmaceutical & Biotech are the top industries contributing to potential project starts in Quebec for first-quarter 2016. Industrial Info is tracking 27 projects in the province worth $2.92 billion that are presently scheduled for kickoff in the first quarter.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing planned first-quarter 2016 project kickoffs in Quebec by industry.

More than half of the total investment value--$1.66 billion--is tied to projects that are in the planning phases, where plenty of factors still could increase, decrease or totally eliminate the expected spending. The remaining $1.26 billion is connected to projects that are in engineering or early construction.

There are 10 metals and minerals projects, worth $1.18 billion, that are listed for potential kickoff in the first quarter. However, four of those projects, valued at $1.04 billion, are still in the planning phases. Alcoa Incorporated (NYSE:AA) (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), has contemplated a $150 million modernization of its aluminum smelter in Deschambault, Quebec. The project at the 260,000 ton-per-year smelter would involve several equipment upgrades to improve operations. Completion could be reached as early as fourth-quarter 2016. Alcoa executives are moving to split the company into two stand-alone entities--a metals mining and production company, and an innovation- and technology-driven company. Alcoa has closed, divested or curtailed 1.4 million metric tonnes, or 33%, of its total global smelting operation capacity since 2007. For related information, see September 29, 2015, article - Alcoa CEO: Company Split to Create Separate 'Value Engines'. For more information on the modernization project, see Industrial Info's project report.

First-quarter kickoffs in Quebec include three chemical projects with a total investment value of $1.1 billion. All are in the engineering phases. IFFCO Canada Enterprise Limited's (Becancour, Quebec) $650 million urea unit in Becancour is part of a planned fertilizer complex valued at $1.1 billion. The urea unit would produce 1.3 million to 1.6 million tons per year of granular urea, 760,000 tons per year of diesel exhaust fluid and 3,500 to 4,000 tons per year of ammonium sulfate. L Nardella Associates Limited (Laval, Quebec) is performing engineering, procurement and construction services. For more information on this project, see Industrial Info's project report.

In third place comes pharmaceuticals and biotech, with potential first-quarter kickoffs for six projects valued at $298 million. All but one of those projects were still listed in the planning stages, including Medicago Incorporated's (Quebec City, Quebec) $245 million vaccines plant in Quebec City's Estimauville Innovation Park, where kickoff has been pushed back from third-quarter 2015. The company plans to build a 474,000-square-foot campus for the research, development and production of plant-based seasonal flu vaccines, with an annual capacity of 40 million to 50 million doses. The project is now set to be completed in first-quarter 2019. For more information on this project, see Industrial Info's project report.

The remaining seven highest-value projects set to kick off in Quebec in the first-quarter are:

• $150 million: Suncor Energy Incorporated's Montreal Refinery Delayed Coker Offsite Utilities in Montreal, Quebec
  For more information on this project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $135 million: Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited's GOLDEX Underground Gold Mine Expansion Deep 1 Project in Val-d'Or, Quebec
  For more information on this project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $50 million: IFFCO Canada Enterprise Limited's Nitrogen Fertilizer Industrial Complex Jetty System In Becancour, Quebec
  For more information on this project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $50 million: Suncor Energy Incorporated's Montreal Refinery Hydrocracker Unit Upgrade, Montreal, Quebec
  For more information on this project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $50 million: New Millennium Iron Corporation's Above-Ground Iron Mine Expansion, Phase II, in Schefferville, Quebec
  For more information on this project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $48 million: Canadian National Railway Company's Saint-Laurent 2016 Province-Wide Network Upgrade/Rehab Program in Montreal, Quebec
  For more information on this project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $48 million: Canadian National Railway Company's Lachine 2016 Province-Wide Network Upgrade/Rehab Program in Lachine, Quebec
  For more information on this project, see Industrial Info's project report.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 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. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at www.industrialinfo.com.