Construction projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars are common on ENR’s list of top Texas/Louisiana starts this year, with all four projects ranked with values in excess of $1 billion each. The trend is not surprising, with mega-projects of liquefied natural gas, large developments and expansion of renewable energy taking root in the region.
The construction projects listed are being built in the five-state region of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi. The top 50 projects are worth approximately $50 billion this year.
The Lone Star State leads the pack by far, seeing a big increase in power generation and housing projects to deal with mass migration to the state. More than 473,000 people transplanted to Texas in 2023, which is almost 40,000 people a month, according to US Census data.
The two main projects are linked to the construction of LNG export terminals. The Rio Grande LNG Phase 1 project in Brownsville, Texas, developed by NextDecade and built by Bechtel, leads the list, with ConocoPhillips’ Port Arthur LNG project in second place. While project owners and general contractors did not provide dollar amounts for the Top Starts list, ENR confirmed that each is around $10 billion or more.
The Golden Triangle Polymer project in Orange, Texas, ranks third, with a project cost of about $8.5 billion. The owner is Orange Triangle Polymers Co. LLC, with PCL Industrial Construction Co. at the head of construction. Construction began in March 2023 and the project is expected to be completed in March 2026.
The large residential community of Grand Prairie in Hockley, Texas, which features a 6,700-square-foot outdoor pavilion as part of its many recreational offerings, ranked No. 7.
Representation courtesy of Grand Prairie
The list also includes more than a dozen renewable energy projects that began in 2023, including the $750 million, 730 MW Magnolia Power/Kindle Energy generating facility in Louisiana and solar farms in state and Texas, Arkansas also saw the start of the 250 MW Entergy Arkansas Driver solar project in Osceola. The $327 million project is expected to be completed in 2024.
There are also quite a few infrastructure projects on the list. The multimillion-dollar, multiyear I-35 Capital Expressway project to rebuild a major transportation route through Austin is among those included. The more than $607 million Texas Department of Transportation project began in March 2023 and is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2028.
Office and residential projects are also prominent in this year’s Top Starts list. More than half a dozen housing developments are listed, with market sector growth centered in Austin, San Antonio, Houston and the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, according to data from Dodge.
Massive amounts of dollars are being spent on construction in the five-state region. Of the 128 projects started on the Dodge Data & Analytics list, 70 are valued at $200 million or more. Industry insiders told ENR they expect the trend of big projects to continue as more people move to Texas each year.
