Nebraska Sees $5.1 Billion in Projects Under Construction

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Known particularly for its agricultural sector, Nebraska also is home to other thriving forms of industry. Industrial Info is tracking more than $5.1 billion worth of projects presently under construction in the state. The Power Industry, with more than $2.3 billion worth of projects underway, leads the state in terms of project value, while the Food & Beverage Industry leads in the number of projects.

The Power Industry makes such a strong showing in Nebraska largely due to one project: Omaha Public Power District's (OPPD) (Omaha, Nebraska) decommissioning and dismantlement of the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Station in Blair. Although the Biden administration is attempting to keep nuclear generation as a substantial portion of the U.S.' energy mix, several smaller plants that can't compete economically with other fuel types are on their way to closure. The single-unit, 482-megawatt (MW) Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant began operating in 1973 and was shut down in 2016 after 43 years of service. OPPD cited market conditions and historically low natural gas prices as reasons prompting the closure. In 2019, OPPD contracted with EnergySolutions Incorporated (Salt Lake City, Utah) to take the lead in the plant's decommissioning process. EnergySolutions is using a deferred dismantlement strategy, allowing residual radioactivity to decay over a period of decades, after which the plant will be dismantled. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for more details.

OPPD also is underway with construction of a dual-fuel peaking station in Douglas, which will use nine 16-MW reciprocating internal combustion engines to provide up to 144 MW in times of high demand, which OPPD estimates will be less than 15% of the time. Construction is set to be completed later this year. OPPD states the turbines will be capable of running on a blend of up to 15% hydrogen in support of future technology investments. Subscribers can click here for the full report.

The Food & Beverage Industry also features prominently in Nebraska's construction activity. Among the largest projects in this industry is a grassroot soybean-crushing facility near Norfolk, in the northeast of the state. Engineering, procurement and construction firm Fagen Incorporated (Granite Falls, Minnesota) kicked off construction of the plant for N Bowdish Company (Carroll, Iowa) late last year. Upon completion, which is expected in the second half of next year, the facility will be able to process 38.5 million bushels per year of soybeans, producing 847,000 tons per year of soybean meal for livestock feed, 450 million pounds per year of crude soybean oil and 77,000 tons per year of pelleted soybean hulls. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Food & Beverage Project Database can click here for more details.

In the Hastings area, Heartwell Renewables' (Hastings, Nebraska) is constructing a grassroot renewable diesel production facility. The facility will process vegetable oils and tallow into 80 million gallons per year of renewable diesel upon completion, which is expected in early 2025. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Food & Beverage Project Database can learn more by clicking here.

Nebraska also has a prominent data center footprint. Facebook parent Meta Platforms Incorporated (NASDAQ:META) (Menlo Park, California) is expanding its facility in Papillion, on the southern outskirts of Omaha, by constructing two new buildings totaling 751,000 square feet, which will support regional activities and increase the campus' size to nine buildings totaling 4 million square feet. General contractor Turner Construction Company (New York, New York) is expected to wrap up the project in late 2024. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Industrial Manufacturing Project Database can click here for more information.

Another tech-related company also is establishing a facility in Papillion. Amazon.com Incorporated (NASDAQ:AMZN) (Seattle, Washington) is underway with a grassroot fulfillment center there that includes constructing an 823,000-square-foot building featuring 441 trailer-parking spaces. The project is expected to be completed early next year. Subscribers can click here for more details.

A couple of pet food projects also feature in the state's project activity. Among these is Petsource by Scoular's (Seward, Nebraska) expansion of its high-protein, freeze-dried pet food manufacturing plant in Seward. The project, which kicked off last summer, includes a 60,000-square-foot building addition with new production lines to triple the plant's production capacity. Construction is set to be completed later this year. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).