Year Starts with Bang for Industrial Projects in Louisiana

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--With the New Year's celebratory champagne toast still a fresh memory, industrial firms have kicked off 2012 with a bang in western Louisiana. A trio of projects totaling $750 million has recently begun construction. Entergy Corporation (NYSE:ETR) (New Orleans, Louisiana), Valero Refining, and Bunge all have major projects under way in the area. This is the tip of the iceberg, as Louisiana has more than $20 billion in planned industrial projects across 12 vertical industries that are scheduled to begin construction in 2012, according to Industrial Info's North American Industrial Database.

Site preparation is under way on a new 540-megawatt power plant owned by Entergy. The new natural gas-fired, combined-cycle unit is being construction at Entergy's Ninemile Point Power Station in Westwego, Louisiana. The project, in the planning stages since 2009, has The Shaw Group Incorporated (NYSE:SHAW) (Englewood, Colorado) as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor.

Valero Refining Company, a subsidiary of Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) (San Antonio, Texas), has begun construction on an upgrade of a fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) at the company's refinery in Meraux, Louisiana. The work will take place during a five-week turnaround of the FCCU, which starts in January. Valero purchased the Meraux refinery and other assets from Murphy Oil Corporation (NYSE:MUR) (El Dorado, Arkansas) in the fourth quarter of 2011 for $625 million.

Bunge North American Incorporated, a subsidiary of Bunge Limited (NYSE:BG) (White Plains, New York), has begun structural erection of a $12 million storage bin project at the company's soybean processing plant in Destrehan, Louisiana. The project will involve the construction of three 128-foot-high, 65-foot-diameter storage bins. Borton LC (Hutchinson, Kansas) is acting as the general contractor on the project, which is scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

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Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, 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.