Power Industry Leads Montana's $1.4 Billion in Projects Under Construction

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)-- Industrial project activity may not be the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks about Montana, but the state nevertheless has a bustling industrial sector, with projects ranging across the Power, Pipeline, Metals & Minerals and Pharmaceutical-Biotech industries. Industrial Info is tracking more than $1.4 billion in projects under construction in Montana, with the Power Industry accounting for more than half of this.

Click on the image at right for a breakdown by industry of projects under construction in Montana.

Power
By far the largest project underway in the state is NextEra Energy Incorporated's (NYSE:NEE) (Juno Beach, Florida) Clearwater Energy Windfarm near Forsyth. Phase I of what is expected to be Montana's largest windfarm consists of constructing 131 General Electric (NYSE:GE) turbines to generate 365 megawatts (MW). Construction kicked off early this year and is expected to be completed in late 2022. Phase II, which is expected to kick off in 2023, will add a further 385 MW. According to the Billings Gazette, this summer the first power purchase agreement for the windfarm was made with Puget Sound Energy (Bellevue, Washington), which will purchase 350 MW of power for a 20-year period. The move comes in part from Puget Sound Energy's ownership in the Colstrip coal-fired power plant in Montana, from which it receives power. After 2025, coal-fired power will be banned in Washington and Oregon, so utilities in those states are looking for alternatives. Montana has been an electricity exporter since the 1970s. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for the project report on Clearwater Phase I and here for Phase II.

Oil & Gas Pipelines
Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques are employed on oil wells after initial phases of production (using natural pressure or water injection) have declined. One EOR technique involves injecting gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) into the well to bring the oil to the surface. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, more than 60% of the EOR in the U.S. is done with this technique, and in the U.S., one of the leaders in this field is Denbury Incorporated (NYSE:DEN) (Plano, Texas). Denbury is extending a CO2 pipeline in southeastern Montana by 105 miles. The 20-inch-diameter extension will carry 75 million cubic feet per day along existing right of ways where possible, connecting the Greencore CO2 Pipeline to the Cedar Creek anticline. Construction kicked off this summer and is expected to wrap up in the third quarter of next year. Crossfire LLC (Durango, Colorado) is the general contractor. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Pipeline Project Database can click here for the project report.

Pharma-Bio
Nobody wants to develop shingles, and GlaxoSmithKline plc (NYSE:GSK) (London, England) produces one of the leading vaccines for this illness, Shingrix, at its production facility in Hamilton, Montana. GSK is underway with the addition of two buildings at the production complex for the production of the QS-21 adjuvant used with the vaccine to enhance immune function, with one of the buildings housing a tank farm. Construction kicked off in 2019 and is expected to wrap up early next year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Pharma-Biotech Database can click here for the project report.

Metals & Minerals
Montana is a leading copper producer, and in Butte, Montana Resources LLP (Butte) is underway with a project to extend the life of a copper mine by raising a tailings impoundment 50 feet, which will help provide another 20 years of production to the above-ground mine. Construction is set to be completed by the end of this year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Metals & Minerals Project Database can click here for the 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.