Oklahoma! Where Nearly $11 Billion in Projects Are Sweeping Down the Plain

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--As the song goes, Oklahoma is where the wind comes sweeping down the plain, but it is also the home to nearly $11 billion in active projects that are either kicking off or completing construction in 2018. In all, Industrial Info is tracking 154 expected project kickoffs and completions this year in the Sooner State, ranging from multi-billion-dollar power windfarms to natural gas pipelines and processing plants.

Click on the image at right for a graph showing 2018 project kickoffs and completions in Oklahoma by industry.

The Power Industry dominates the $7.6 billion in project kickoffs this year in Oklahoma. At the top of the power kickoff list is Invenergy LLC's (Chicago, Illinois) $2.9 billion Wind Catcher windfarm in the Oklahoma panhandle. Construction on the 2,000-megawatt windfarm is scheduled to kick off in the fourth-quarter of this year, with completion in late 2020. GE Renewable Energy, part of General Electric (NYSE: GE) (Boston, Massachusetts, is the technology provider for the project, which would include 800 wind turbine generators, each capable of generating 2.5 MW. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

The windfarm is part of the $4.5 billion Wind Catcher Energy Connection transmission project by American Electric Power Company Incorporated (NYSE:AEP) (AEP) (Columbus, Ohio). It would bring wind-derived energy to customers in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. Ultimately, Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) (Tulsa, Oklahoma) and Southwestern Electric Company (SWEPCO) (Columbus, Ohio), which are both AEP subsidiaries, would own the facility.

Last week, SWEPCO announced a settlement agreement between it and the Louisiana Public Service Commission that was expected to pave the way for the project's approval by the commission. Final decisions are still pending for SWEPCO's applications for the project in Arkansas and Texas in addition to Louisiana, and for PSO's application in Oklahoma.

Oil & Gas pipelines take second place to power kickoffs this year in Oklahoma. Among them is Cheniere Energy Incorporated's (NYSE:LNG) (Houston, Texas) $325 million natural gas pipeline that will carry up to 1.4 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas 198 miles from a processing plant in Kingfisher Country to Bennington, Oklahoma. TRC Companies (Lowell, Massachusetts) has one the pipeline engineering contracts for the project. Construction would kick off in mid-2018, with completion in third-quarter 2019. It is part of the Midcontinent Supply Header Interstate Pipeline (MIDSHIP) Project, which would connect new gas production from the STACK and SCOOP plays in Oklahoma's Anadarko Basin to Gulf Coast and Southeast markets via deliveries to existing pipelines. For more information on the Kingfisher-to-Bennington pipeline, see Industrial Info's project report.

In the Oil & Gas Production arena, EnLink Midstream Partners LP (NYSE:ENLK) (Dallas, Texas) is developing the $300 million Thunderbird cryogenic natural gas processing plant. To be built in the Kingfisher area, the 200 million-standard-cubic-foot-per-day facility would be completed in early 2019. Kahuna Ventures LLC (Westminster, Colorado) is the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm for the project. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Other industries are planning big kickoffs this year. Sofidel S.P.A. (Italy) is developing a $350 million tissue mill near Inola. Upon planned completion in late 2019, the facility would produce paper towels, tissue and napkins. W.G. Yates and Sons Construction Company (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is the project contractor. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Down in Durant, Commercial Metals Company (NYSE:CMC) (Irving, Texas) has completed a $300 million steel rebar micromill this year. The facility will produce 350,000 tons per year of steel construction rebar. Plyler Construction (Sherman, Texas) served as a subcontractor. 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.