Burns & McDonnell at Work on $20 Billion in Projects, Fueled by NGL, Wind Energy

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Engineering News-Record has named Burns & McDonnell Incorporated (Kansas City, Missouri) its top engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm for the U.S. Southwest region, where it is involved in public and private projects ranging from renewable-energy development to government-supported infrastructure. Industrial Info is tracking nearly $20 billion in active projects featuring Burns & McDonnell, including nearly $3.7 billion in the U.S. Southwest region.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing active energy-related projects involving Burns & McDonnell, by fuel type.

The Southwest region includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas, but its energy-related business is dominated by the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coasts, where Burns & McDonnell has been involved in several big-ticket project kickoffs in the past few months. Two were major additions at ONEOK Incorporated's (NYSE:OKE) (Tulsa, Oklahoma) natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionator in Mont Belvieu, Texas: the $575 million Unit 4 and the $750 million Unit 5, which are set to be completed in the spring and fall of 2020, respectively.

Each unit would add 125,000 BBL/d of NGL fractionation capacity to the facility, for a total of 400,000 BBL/d. Kevin Burdick, the chief operating officer of ONEOK, said in a recent earnings-related conference call that he expects Unit 4 to exit 2020 at full capacity, and for Unit 5 "to ramp up quickly" by the first quarter of 2021. For more information, see Industrial Info's project reports on Unit 4 and Unit 5.

Burns & McDonnell also is performing EPC services for Valero Energy Corporation's (NYSE:VLO) (San Antonio, Texas) $400 million sulfuric acid alkylation unit at the Saint Charles Refinery in Norco, Louisiana, which began construction in January. The 17,000-BBL/d unit is expected to wrap up in the summer of 2020. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Also in Louisiana, Burns & McDonnell is at work on two projects for leading energy companies: Phillips 66's (NYSE:PSX) (Houston) $250 million addition of an isomerization unit at its Lake Charles Refinery in Westlake, which will produce 25,000 BBL/d of high-octane gasoline, and Entergy Corporation's (NYSE:ETR) (New Orleans, Louisiana) $210 million reciprocating unit addition at the Michoud Peaking Station in New Orleans, which will generate 126 megawatts (MW) from seven generators. The projects are set to wrap up in September 2019 and June 2020, respectively. For more information, see Industrial Info's reports on the Lake Charles and Michoud projects.

Outside the Southwest region, Burns & McDonnell is at work on several renewable-based developments in another one of the country's energy hotspots: the Dakotas. TradeWind Energy LLC (Lenexa, Kansas) has selected the EPC provider as project manager for its proposed, $400 million Aurora Windfarm in Tioga, North Dakota, which is designed to generate 300 MW from 150 Vestas turbines. Xcel Energy (NASDAQ:XEL) (Minneapolis, Minnesota) has added Burns & McDonnell as a consultant on its proposed, $190 million Dakota Range Windfarm near South Shore, South Dakota, which would provide 150 MW to the grid from 75 Vestas turbines. For more information, see Industrial Info's reports on the Aurora and Dakota Range projects.

Cooperative Energy (Hattiesburg, Mississippi), an electrical generation and transmission cooperative, is employing Burns & McDonnell to provide engineering services for the proposed, $650 million natural gas-fired, combined-cycle (NGCC) conversion of its R.D. Morrow Power Station in Purvis, Mississippi. The 550-MW unit will supply electricity to Cooperative's 11 member cooperatives, which serve roughly 430,000 homes and businesses across the state. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

The conversion to natural gas does not come a moment too soon for the aging plant; a report from the Environmental Integrity Project ranked it the ninth-most dangerous site in the U.S. for coal ash contamination, according to the Hattiesburg American. Coal ash, the residue produced from coal burning, is often cited as a major source of toxic chemicals that can cause health problems for those frequently exposed to it. Cooperative also is considering a $650 million second NGCC unit, which would not begin construction until after the first unit wraps up in late 2021. 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. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.