Bechtel Takes on $155 Billion in Active Projects, with $33 Billion to Kick Off, Wrap Up in 2018

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Bechtel Corporation (San Francisco, California), the largest construction company in the U.S., was once again ranked No. 1 on Engineering News-Record's list of the top 400 contractors, due in no small part to the company's growing role in liquefied natural gas (LNG) and natural gas-fired, combined-cycle (NGCC) projects. Industrial Info is tracking nearly $155 billion in active projects involving Bechtel, including more than $9.4 billion worth that are set to begin construction and $23 billion worth that are set to finish construction in 2018.

Bechtel is more involved in the booming global LNG market than any other contractor, accounting for the construction of nearly one-third of global LNG capacity, according to the company's website. Much of this can be found on the U.S. Gulf Coast, where Bechtel is a key player in two major LNG projects: Cheniere Energy Incorporated's (NYSE:LNG) (Houston, Texas) Corpus Christi LNG Liquefaction facility in Portland, Texas, and Sabine Pass LNG Production facility in Cameron, Louisiana.

Construction is under way on a $5.5 billion Train 1 and $5.5 billion Train 2 at Corpus Christi, each of which is expected to produce 4.5 million tons per year of LNG from 1 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas. Similarly, the $2.5 billion Train 5 addition at Sabine Pass, also under way, will produce the same amount from 650 million cubic feet per day, bringing the site's total production capacity to 22.5 million metric tons per year of LNG. For more information, see Industrial Info's reports on Corpus Christi's Train 1 and Train 2, and Sabine Pass Train 5, as well as February 22, 2018, article - Cheniere Narrows Annual Net Loss as LNG Cargoes Increase, Trains Come Online; February 12, 2018, article - Cheniere Signs LNG Sales Agreement with China; and January 17, 2018, article - Cheniere Signs 15-Year LNG Sales Agreement with Trafigura.

Among the most anticipated projects set to wrap up in the coming months is Exxon Mobil Corporation's (NYSE:XOM) (Irving, Texas) ethylene unit addition at its olefins complex in Baytown, Texas, for which Bechtel and Linde Engineering North America Incorporated (Blue Bell, Pennsylvania) are performing EPC services. The 3 billion-pound-per-year unit will use ethane as its primary feedstock to support the recently commissioned polyethylene unit addition at ExxonMobil's Mont Belvieu facility, which itself is expected to produce 2.86 billion pounds per year. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the Baytown and Mont Belvieu additions; March 19, 2018, article - ExxonMobil Plans to Grow Chemical Earnings on Plant Buildouts; and March 13, 2018, article - Chevron Phillips Chemical Starts Texas Ethylene Unit.

Outside the Gulf Coast, Bechtel is playing a role in several high-profile NGCC projects across the U.S.:

• Panda Power Funds' (Dallas, Texas) $850 million Hummel Power Station in Shamokin Dam, Pennsylvania, which is expected to wrap up in the coming months. It will generate 1,000 megawatts (MW) from three combustion turbines, each with a capacity of 242 MW, and a 274-MW steam turbine, all from Siemens AG (Munich, Germany). It is expected to supply about 1 million customers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. See project report.
• Advanced Power AG's (Zug, Switzerland) $1.4 billion Cricket Valley Energy Center in Dover Plains, New York, which is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2020. It will generate 1,100 MW from three combustion turbines, each with a capacity of 200 MW, and a 133.2-MW steam turbine, all from General Electric (NYSE:GE). See project report.
• Advanced Power AG's $1.1 billion South Field Energy Center in Wellsville, Ohio, which is expected to be completed later in 2020. It will generate 1,100 MW from two combustion turbines, each with a capacity of 320 MW, and two 246-MW steam turbines, all from GE. See project report.

Bechtel is involved in more than $3.2 billion worth of active projects in Latin America, the largest being BHP Billiton plc's (NYSE:BHP) (Melbourne, Australia) $2.1 billion seawater-desalinization plant and $600 million pipeline at the Escondida copper mine in Chile. The reverse-osmosis desalination plant will supply the mine with 2,500 liters per second, via the 360-kilometer pipeline; both are set to be fully completed soon, and already are operational. Copper-related desalination projects are increasingly in demand in Chile, the world's biggest exporter of the resource. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on the desalination plant and pipeline.

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. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.