U.S. Midwest to See More than $5.3 Billion in Second-Quarter Kickoffs, with Wind, Pharma Projects Leading the Way

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The U.S. Midwest region is looking at $5.37 billion in project kickoffs in the second quarter of 2015, with wind-power and life-science projects accounting for more than one-third of the total, according to Industrial Info's Project Database. More than 75% of the total is attributed to four industries: Power, Pharmaceutical & Biotech, Food & Beverage, and Petroleum Refining.

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

The Midwest region includes Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and the Dakotas.

The Power Industry leads the way with $1.43 billion in projects set to kick off in the second quarter in the Midwest, with a solid majority of the total--$872 million--attributed to wind-powered projects. The largest of these is Rahn Group LLC's (Minneapolis, Minnesota) $350 million construction of a windfarm near Courtenay, North Dakota. The 200-megawatt (MW) facility will consist of 125 General Electric (NYSE:GE) 1.6-100-model wind turbine generators, each with a capacity of 1.6 MW. Geronimo Energy (Edina, Minnesota), a subsidiary, is overseeing the project.

The Pharmaceutical & Biotech Industry is not far behind, with $1.32 billion in Midwestern projects set to kick off in the second quarter. Among them is University of Kansas' $122 million addition to its Medical Research Center in Kansas City, Kansas. The university is planning to construct a 250,000-square-foot building that will accommodate patient care and treatment, as well as cancer research for the National Institutes of Health. According to current schedules, it is set to be completed in first-quarter 2017.

The Food & Beverage Industry is looking at $906 million in project construction starts, including Dairy Farmers of America's (Kansas City, Missouri) $100 million construction of a powdered milk-processing plant in Garden City, Kansas. The cooperative is planning an 88,000-ton-per-year, 200,000- to 300,000-square-foot facility, which is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2016. MSKTD & Associates Incorporated (Fort Wayne, Indiana) is serving as architect, and Shambaugh & Son LP (Fort Wayne) as a consultant.

The Petroleum Refining Industry takes fourth place with a $527 million in projects set to begin in the second quarter, including Dakota Oil Processing's (Williston, North Dakota) $50 million addition to a crude-oil topping plant in Williston. The project is part of a larger, $170 million tank farm that will comprise 32 tanks with a 667,500-barrel capacity for crude oil, refined products and fire water. Ventech Engineers Incorporated (Pasadena, Texas) is performing engineering services for the project, which is set to be completed in the first quarter of 2016.

About half of the $5.37 billion total investment value for projects expected to kick off in the U.S. Midwest region in the second quarter is attached to projects currently in the engineering stages. About $2.5 billion worth are in the planning stages, where plenty of factors could increase, decrease or totally eliminate the expected spending, while $194 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.