Utah Sees $12 Billion Worth of Industrial Project Construction Underway

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Utah has become a thriving industrial hub, with plenty of projects presently under construction. Industrial Info is tracking nearly $12 billion worth of projects that are underway in the state, ranging from power plants to food and beverage production.

Utah has a strong mining culture, and one of the biggest players in the sector, Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO) (London, England), is cementing its presence in the state with a project that will expand both the production and working life of the Bingham Canyon copper mine. A Phase I extension project was previously completed, which kept mine operations going until 2027, and now Rio Tinto is underway with Phase II, which expands the open-pit mine even further by pushing out and deepening the south wall into a new orebody, in addition to upgrades and revamps that will deliver an additional 1 million tons of refined copper annually between 2026 and 2032. Work is expected to last until the end of this year or early next year, when the mine will begin ramping up to higher production. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Metals & Minerals Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.

Due to a population influx, power demand is increasing in Utah and is expected to do so over the coming years. To avoid a potential power crunch, Governor Spencer Cox (R) late last year launched Operation Gigawatt, which sets the goal to double the state's power production over the coming 10 years. While there has been talk of adding nuclear generation to the state's power mix for the first time, such projects are well in the future. In the meantime, other companies are providing additional generation to the state's power supply through other fuel sources.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), solar energy powers about 93% of all generating capacity added to Utah since 2015. Gardner Company subsidiary rPlus Energies (Salt Lake City, Utah) is continuing the solar rollout with construction of the Green River solar energy center near Emery, located in the state's center. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor Sundt Construction Incorporated (Tempe, Arizona) is placing about 1 million modules that will generate about 400 megawatts (MW) at peak capacity. For times when the sun isn't shining, a 400-MW battery energy storage system using Tesla Incorporated's (NASDAQ:TSLA) (Austin, Texas) megapack technology can provide power. Construction is expected to last through most of 2026. Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can click here for more details on the project.

EPC contractor Black & Veatch Incorporated (Overland Park, Kansas) is on the tail end of an 840-MW power project for Utah's Intermountain Power Agency (South Jordan) that will burn natural gas, providing fossil-fueled baseload power. But the Mitsubishi turbine that the plant will house also is capable of burning hydrogen, providing a cleaner burn than natural gas. Plans call for the plant to run with about 30% hydrogen in the mix when fired up this year, gradually increasing to 100% by 2045. Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.

At least some of that hydrogen will be supplied by ACES Delta (Delta, Utah), which is wrapping up construction of a 100-metric-ton-per-day green hydrogen plant about 100 miles northwest of the power plant, in Delta. The green hydrogen will be produced by electrolysis powered by renewable sources. Black & Veatch also is providing EPC work on this project, which is wrapping up construction. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Chemical Processing Project Database can click here for more details on the project.

The food and beverage sector also enters into Utah's project mix, with one of the largest projects coming from food giant Mars Incorporated (McLean, Virginia). In 2020, Mars acquired Reno, Nevada-based Nature's Bakery and has grown the company into one of the U.S.' top snack bar brands. To better meet increasing demand for its product line, which includes oatmeal crumble bars, fig bars and brownie bars, including a range of gluten-free and whole wheat lines, Mars has purchased a brownfield property and is currently performing structural modifications and adding equipment to put the 339,000-square-foot facility into action. The plant is expected to begin production later this year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Food & Beverage Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.

While asphalt shingles remain the prevailing material used for residential rooftops, other companies are gearing up to manufacture different roofing materials. Central States Manufacturing Incorporated manufactures not only metal roofing, but also metal siding used in residential, commercial, agricultural and recreational buildings. The company is underway with construction of a grassroot manufacturing plant in Tooele, about 30 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. Central States is constructing a 115,000-square-foot facility to manufacture its products that is expected to begin operations later this year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Industrial Manufacturing Project Database can click here to learn more about the project.

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 related 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).