A slew of wind, solar and other transmission megaprojects are fueling construction activity in the seven-state region.
“We are very bullish on renewables in the Mountain States,” notes Jesse Canzler, vice president and general manager of Mortenson’s wind energy division. “While transmission has long been a limiting factor, the announcement of several large-scale projects, along with the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act for renewable projects, will generate a lot of activity in the coming years. This will be good for the market because it means we will create more jobs to support the construction and operation of these projects while diversifying our grid with clean energy.”
Mortenson broke ground in June on the $576 million Boswell Springs wind farm project in Rock River, Wyo. Other green energy projects topping the region’s 2023 startup list include the $525 million Cedar Springs Wind Farm in Rock River, Wyo.; the $255 million Cedar Creek Wind project in Idaho Falls; and the Sweetland Wind Farm and Wild Springs Solar projects in South Dakota, to name just a few.
The Limelight Hotel will fill a void in the number of large conference rooms in Boulder, Colo.
Representation courtesy of WATG
But while construction activity is picking up, companies say the overall supply chain remains a challenge to navigate. “We’re not seeing as much volatility today as we did two years ago, but lead times for primary electrical equipment are one to two years for major power transformers, high-voltage switches, transmission structures, etc.,” he says. chancellor Labor also remains limited, and with limited craft labor available in remote areas, major project contractors continue to rely on strategies that support innovation and bring new people into the industry and training through learning programs.
Slade Opheikens, president and CEO of R&O Construction and board chair of AGC Utah, says working with property owners to keep projects on budget has been especially challenging in the past year.
“Lately, it’s been about how to help and get an owner on budget. Things have been delayed because financing has been harder to come by, and we’ve had about four projects canceled in the last year. A of them was major, a $100 million project … and that was after 14 months of pre-construction work,” he says. “But retail is stronger than I think most people expected, and we have a lot of smaller projects lined up with some of our regular customers.”
Several technology projects also made the list of the region’s top startups, including the Agilent Technologies pharmaceutical plant in Frederick, Colo., the Entegris Manufacturing plant in Colorado Springs; and Phase 2 of the NOVVA data center in West Jordan, Utah.
