There’s been no letup in jobs for industrial contractors.

In fact, things may be picking up.

Travis Woods, general manager of T&L Solutions, LLC, spoke at the Port Arthur Contractors’ Business Development Group on April 11 at the Carl Parker Multipurpose Center in Port Arthur.

To lead off, the Motiva Port Arthur Refinery plans on building a chemical plant at their facility that could take some $18 billion to $36 billion in investment. Woods said this would keep Motiva ahead of the ExxonMobil Beaumont Refinery that will undergo a $20 billion expansion.

Woods said the company would soon make an announcement.

Magnolia LNG will build a new plant in Cameron Parish, Louisiana. McDermott International bought 53 percent of CBI, the construction company.

Woods said Magnolia LNG has come back to life.

CBI, likewise, sold its maintenance division to Aptium. They did the Motiva tank farm and then Cheniere LNG. 

Delphin LNG will build the first floating LNG terminal at Johnson Bayou, Louisiana. Ships will be loaded there.

The company is still working on securing permits to build, but it’s a long process.

“Permits take a long time. They want to get their ducks in a row before they pull the trigger,” he said.

EXCEL Group, in Baton Rouge, signed a $52 million electrical contract.

Jefferson Refining, located at the Port of Beaumont, will undergo another $150 million in expansions. STI Group is the contractor.

Woods called Jefferson Refining a “sleeping giant.”

The private Port of Cameron is spending $4 billion and hiring additional personnel. Evans and Graves Engineering of Baton Rouge is the contractor.

CBI will build the side cracker unit for the Total Port Arthur Refinery. Recon Environmental is now pushing dirt.

Cheniere has plans to build a third berth there for several hundred thousands of dollars. Trains 5 and 6 have been put on hold. Train 4 is to be finished and put online.

Bechtel Corp. signed with Driftwood LNG for $15 billion. That project won’t start until Jan. 1, 2019.

Hodge Paper Mill in Hodge, Louisiana is staying busy.

Woods estimates dormant saw mills will come back to life, such as Hunt Industries, which is building a new mill south of Ruston for $125 million.

STE&G LNG sold half of their LNG. They build a facility on Monkey Island in Cameron to build a $5 billion facility.

Sempra LNG at Sabine Pass had a meeting with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. They hope to get their permit this year and start the project. It will be called Port Arthur LNG. They will move the road from the waterway inland so they won’t have to build a bridge over Keith Lake. It will be a $75 million road project.

Lindy Plants is planning several hydrogen plants in Southeast Texas and in southwestern Louisiana. One plant will be in the middle of the Motiva Refinery. Praxair is a partner in the project too.

He added that Cameron has several small satellite chemical plants that local subcontractors shouldn’t overlook.

Entergy in Westlake, Louisiana will build a $1 billion power plant. Also, CBI will build in Conroe and Burns and McDonald will build in LaPlace, Louisiana.

“There are $3 billion in power plants coming,” Woods said.

Arkema will spend $400 million on Gulf States Road behind the ExxonMobil Refinery in Beaumont. 

This story appeared in Volume 3 of The Port Arthur News Profile, April 22, 2018