U.S. Solar Projects Light Up West Coast with One-Third of $12.5 Billion in Second-Quarter 2015 Project Kickoffs

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--California's solar power industry is driving more than 33% of the projects slated to kick off in the U.S. West Coast region from April through June. Second-quarter construction kickoffs in the region total $12.5 billion in investment value, according to Industrial Info's project database, with almost 80% of the amount 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 second quarter of 2015 in the U.S. West Coast region by industry.

The West Coast region includes Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington.

The massive growth in the region's Power Industry, which leads all others with $4.92 billion in planned kickoffs for the second quarter, is driven by almost $4.2 billion in solar-related projects. The largest of these is PV2 Energy LLC's (San Francisco, California) $1.8 billion, Phase I construction of the Panoche Valley Solar Power Station near Hollister, California. The 339-megawatt station is planned to be built in four phases, eventually utilizing between 3 million and 4 million photovoltaic panels to provide renewable energy to the grid. AMEC Foster Wheeler plc (NYSE:AMFW) (London, England) is providing engineering, procurement and construction services for the project, the first phase of which is set to be completed in the third quarter of 2017.

The Industrial Manufacturing Industry's $3.7 billion in planned construction kickoffs is dominated by a $2 billion high-speed rail project in California. The state's High-Speed Rail Authority (Sacramento) plans to add the 66-mile second section of an 800-mile, multi-phased rail project that will connect Sacramento to San Diego. The new section will run from East American Avenue in Fresno to an area north of Bakersfield capable of reaching speeds up to 220 miles per hour. Dragados USA (New York, New York) is performing design-build services for the project, which is set to be completed in May 2019.

The Pharmaceutical & Biotech Industry has a strong showing in third place, with almost $1.2 billion in projects set to begin construction during the second quarter, including the University of Washington at Seattle's $126 million addition to its research and development center. The project involves constructing an 85,000-square-foot LEED Silver building that will accommodate research on large and small animals, including rodents. Skanska USA Building Incorporated (Parsippany, New Jersey) is performing construction management services. The addition is scheduled to be completed in May 2017.

Among all the other industries, the largest project tracked by Industrial Info can be found in the Food & Beverage Industry: CaliCheese LLC's (Tulare, California) $280 million construction of a cheese-processing plant in Tulare. The 330,000-square-foot facility, located on a 60-acre site, is designed to process 153 million pounds per day of milk, and to produce 122 million pounds per day of cheese and 30 million pounds per day of whey protein. The project is set to be completed in October 2016.

A little more than half of the region's total investment value (TIV)--about $6.35 billion--is related to 81 projects that are now in the planning stages, where plenty of factors could increase, decrease or eliminate the expected spending. The region also has 58 projects worth more than $5.4 billion in the engineering stages, while 80 projects worth $258 million already have kicked off the first stage of construction and will kick off the second in the fourth quarter.

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.