LNG Export Terminals Lead 10 Top-Valued Projects on U.S. West Coast, with Hydropower Not Far Behind

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Industrial Info is tracking more than $162 billion in active projects in the states of California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii, with the 10 highest-value projects alone accounting for more than $30 billion. Two highly anticipated terminals that are designed to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) top the list; both recently received much-needed support from regulatory agencies, indicating that some of the legal red tape may be unravelling.

Click on the image at right to see a graph detailing the top 10 counties on the U.S. West Coast for project spending.

Hydropower projects also play a major role, as these states have sought to take the lead in renewable-energy development. For more information, see January 7, 2015, article - West Coast Leads U.S. in Hydropower Spending.

Half of the projects on the list are for commercial rail systems. But many of these plans, especially those for entirely new lines, face lengthy delays due to trouble obtaining government funding. It is not unusual to see some of these projects pushed off for more than five years, if not cancelled outright.

$6 Billion: Veresen's Jordan Cove LNG Liquefaction Plant in Coos Bay, Oregon
In development for more than a decade, Veresen Incorporated's (TSX:VSN) (Calgary, Alberta) Jordan Cove LNG Liquefaction Plant is expected to produce about 6 million tons per year of liquefied natural gas (LNG) through the use of four 900 million-starndard-cubic-foot-per-day trains; four Dresser Rand engines; two 160,000-cubic-meter LNG full-containment storage tanks; and a 420-megawatt cogeneration power plant. Black & Veatch (Overland Park, Kansas) and Kiewit Infrastructure West Company (Omaha, Nebraska) are performing engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services.

The project and its accompanying pipeline have faced strong and consistent opposition from environmental activists, who are concerned about negative effects from greenhouse gases and on the 400-plus waterways traversed by the pipe.

Earlier this summer, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality approved Jordan Cove LNG's air contaminant discharge permit, while the U.S. Department of Energy authorized exports of LNG. The U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) expects to issue the final environmental impact statement (EIS) in late September, with a FERC decision set for late December.

For details on this construction project, see Industrial Info's project report.

$3 Billion: Oregon Pipeline Company's First Train at Oregon LNG Liquefaction Plant in Warrenton, Oregon
After nearly 10 years of wrangling, FERC issued a notice of Schedule for Environment Review for the Oregon LNG facility, a much-needed push through the lengthy bureaucratic process. The first, 4.5 million-ton-per-year LNG liquefaction train will feature two 35-MW, electric-motor compressor drives; a 160,000-cubic-meter storage tank; and an export-oriented shipping berth, with a capacity of up to 267,000 cubic meters. Oregon Pipeline Company is a subsidiary of Leucadia National Corporation (NYSE:LUK) (New York, New York).

Like the Jordan Cove project, the Oregon LNG project is facing opposition from environmental activists. Recently, it has seen both good and bad news: a draft environmental analysis by FERC said that any environmental impacts will not be significant, but a federal judge backed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in a lawsuit concerning dredge spoils. The county hosting the project gave the Army Corps an easement to place dredge spoils in the area in 1957; according to the ruling, the Army Corps must forfeit the easement for the project to proceed. FERC is expected to issue the EIS in February 2016, and the Federal Authorization Decision Deadline is in May.

For details on this construction project, see Industrial Info's project report.

For more on challenges facing North American pipelines, see August 24, 2015, article - Canadian Regulatory Agencies Becoming Bigger Headache for Pipeline Companies.

$3 Billion: Oregon Pipeline Company's Second Train at Oregon LNG Liquefaction Plant in Warrenton, Oregon
For details on this expansion project, see Industrial Info's project report.

$2.6 Billion: Eagle Crest Energy Company's Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Project near Eagle Mountain, California
For details on this construction project, see Industrial Info's project report.

$2.5 Billion: Klickitat County's Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Project near Goldendale, Washington
For details on this construction project, see Industrial Info's project report.

$3.2 Billion: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's Silicon Valley Rapid Transit Extension in San Jose, California
For details on this expansion project, see Industrial Info's project report.

$2.82 Billion: L.A. County Transportation Authority's Purple Line Expansion in Los Angeles, California
For details on this expansion project, see Industrial Info's project report.

$2.8 Billion: Hatch Limited's Light-Rail Transit Extension in Seattle, Washington
For details on this expansion project, see Industrial Info's project report.

$2.72 Billion: Honolulu Transportation Department's Commuter Rail System in Honolulu, Hawaii
For details on this construction project, see Industrial Info's project report.

$2.3 Billion: Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's Expansion of the Silicon Valley Rapid Transit Corridor in San Jose, California
For details on this expansion project, see Industrial Info's project report.

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