Natural Gas, Shale-Related Projects Drive 10 Highest-Value Kickoffs in U.S. Northeast for Fourth-Quarter 2015

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Although the U.S. Northeast region is expected to see a slight decline in the overall value of project kickoffs in the fourth quarter of 2015, the $5.47 billion in total investment value still shows the influence of the area's prosperous shale plays, particularly the Marcellus and Utica, according to Industrial Info's project database. About 75% of the amount is attributed to three industries: Power, Industrial Manufacturing and Pharmaceutical & Biotech.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing active projects scheduled to kick off in the fourth quarter of 2015 in the U.S. Northeast region by industry.

The Northeast region includes Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

The Power Industry leads all others with $1.97 billion in projects set to begin construction in the fourth quarter, one of the largest of which is Tenaska Incorporated's (Omaha, Nebraska) $550 million Westmoreland County Generating Station in Smithton, Pennsylvania. The facility is expected to consist of three 185-megawatt (MW), natural-gas fired combustion turbine generators that will drive a 385-MW Steam Turbine Generator, for a total output of about 950 MW. The company received capital approval for the project earlier this year. For details on this construction project, see Industrial Info's project report.

The Industrial Manufacturing Industry is in second place with $1.61 billion in projects set to kick off from October through December, the largest of which is the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority's $450 million construction of a marine cargo-handling terminal. The project, which has faced repeated delays since it was announced in 2010 and still is in the permitting phase, consists of a two-berth marine terminal on 119 acres that will include a marginal wharf, six Post-Panamax container cranes, and a container yard that will have a planned throughput of 1.1 million twenty-foot equivalent units per year at full build-out. For details on this expansion project, see Industrial Info's project report.

The Pharmaceutical & Biotech Industry has $508 million in projects set to begin construction in the fourth quarter, the largest of which is City University of New York's $225 million expansion of a scientific research building in the Bronx. The second of a two-phase project will add 160,000 square feet for the teaching and research of physics, earth science and environmental subjects. Gilbane Building Company (New York, New York) is performing construction management services. For details on this expansion project, see Industrial Info's project report.

The seven other highest-value projects in the region are:

• $900 Million: Moxie Energy's Natural Gas-Fired Station in Berwick, Pennsylvania
  For details on this construction project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $514 Million: New Jersey Transit Corporation's Rail-System Expansion, Based in Blairstown, New Jersey
  For details on this expansion project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $129 Million: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's Greenville Yard Redevelopment in Newark, New Jersey
  For details on this project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $150 Million: First Quality's Tissue Mill Expansion in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
  For details on this expansion project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $200 Million: Amazon.com's Distribution Center Renovation in Carteret, New Jersey
  For details on this project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $200 Million: Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation Drilling Program in Monroe, Pennsylvania
  For details on this construction project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $200 Million: Exelon Corporation's Uprate at Peach Bottom Nuclear Power Station in Delta, Pennsylvania
  For details on this project, see Industrial Info's project report.

Nearly three-quarters of the region's total investment value (TIV)--about $3.54 billion--is related to 68 projects that are now in the planning stages, where plenty of factors could increase, decrease or eliminate the expected spending. The region also has 37 projects worth about $1.77 billion in the engineering stages, while 67 projects worth $158 million already have kicked off the first stage of construction and will kick off the next in the fourth quarter.

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.