Quebec Coasts into Second-Quarter 2015 with More than $827 Million in Project Starts, Fueled by Windfarm

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--A major windfarm project is the driving force behind Quebec's $827.5 million in projects that are expected to begin construction in the second quarter of 2015, according to Industrial Info's Project Database. Almost 90% of the total is attributed to three industries: Power, Pharmaceutical & Biotech, and Oil & Gas Production.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing planned second-quarter 2015 project kickoffs in Quebec by industry.

Thanks to a single windfarm project, the Power Industry leads all others industries in total spending on projects set to begin construction in Quebec in the second quarter. Innergex Renewable Energy Incorporated's (TSX:INE) (Longueuil, Quebec) $365 million Mesgi'g Ugju's'n Windfarm, which is to be located in the province's Gaspe Peninsula, is expected to comprise either 50 wind turbine generators, each with a capacity of 3 megawatts (MW), or 75 turbines, each with a capacity of 2 MW. The project is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2016.

The Pharmaceutical & Biotech Industry follows with six projects set to kick off in the second quarter that have a total investment value of $249 million. These include Hema-Quebec's (Montreal) planned, $21.5 million construction of a stem-cell research facility in Quebec City. The 40,000-square-foot building will manufacture blood products using human stem cells, and include warehouse and distribution space. If it proceeds, the project is expected to be completed in second-quarter 2016.

The Oil & Gas Production Industry is in third place with a single project: Gaz Metropolitain Incorporated's (Montreal, Quebec) $120 million addition to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction plant in Montreal. The new, 200,000-gallon-per-day LNG unit will use Linde AG's (Munich, Germany) process technology to boost production. Linde Process Plants Incorporated (Tulsa, Oklahoma) is serving as engineering, procurement and construction contractor on the project, which is set to be completed in second-quarter 2016. Gaz Metropolitain is a subsidiary of Noverco Incorporated (Montreal).

Of the remaining industries, the largest project is Rock-Tenn Company's (NYSE:RKT) (Norcross, Georgia) $35 million construction of a pulp & paper mill in La Tuque. The company plans to replace the dry-bottom electrostatic precipitator on a 4 million-pound-per-hour recovery boiler. The project is set to be completed in the third quarter of this year.

Of the $827.5 million in total investment value for projects expected to kick off in Quebec in the second quarter, more than half is attached to projects currently in the planning stages, where plenty of factors still could increase, decrease or eliminate the expected spending. About $350 million worth are in the engineering stages, while $34 million worth already are in the early construction stages.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three 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.