EBI News for September 20, 2023 – WSP and Environmental Defense Fund report on EV spending
EBI News for September 20, 2023 – The following news section contains the latest stories for the environmental industry. Including, WSP and Environmental Defense Fund report on EV spending, acquisitions, and more!
SNC-Lavalin changes name to AtkinsRéalis
SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. (Montreal, Canada) is rebranding as AtkinsRéalis, bringing together SNC-Lavalin and its UK subsidiaries Atkins and Faithful+Gould under a single banner. President and CEO Ian L. Edwards noted that the company has been repositioned in recent years, including exiting parts of the business that were not profitable or aligned with its strategy, doubling down on high growth markets, and strengthening its culture: “We have reached an inflection point so now is the right time to rebrand to AtkinsRéalis.” In a second quarter conference call in August, Edwards noted the company has “very clear aspirations of moving from a top 20 player in the U.S. to a top 10 player in the U.S.” and would take “a very methodical approach” to acquisitions. According to an article by The Canadian Press, Edwards said the focus would be mostly U.S. acquisitions, with two deals “probably” coming next year followed by more in 2025. Last month, SNC-Lavalin announced completing the sale of its Scandinavian Engineering Services business.
WSP and Environmental Defense Fund report on EV spending
Electric vehicle (EV) and battery manufacturing grew by $92.3 billion over the past 12 months, according to a new report released by the Environmental Defense Fund and WSP (Montreal, Canada). The report highlights that since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, investment has sharply increased for manufacturing EVs, EV batteries and components, and battery recycling infrastructure. Over the past eight years, manufacturers have announced more than $165 billion in investments in EV and EV battery manufacturing facilities, 56% of which was reported during the past 12 months. Manufacturers have also announced more than 179,000 new direct U.S. EV-related jobs between 2015-2023, almost half of which were announced in the last year.
EPA announces its largest recycling investment in 30 years
The U.S. EPA has announced more than $100 million in grants under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to expand recycling infrastructure and waste management systems. EPA has selected 25 communities to receive grants totaling more than $73 million. In addition, the agency is making available approximately $32 million for states and territories to improve solid waste management planning, data collection and implementation. The grants support EPA’s National Recycling Strategy.
Enel brings five new batteries online in Texas
Enel North America (Andover, Mass.) has more than tripled its operational utility-scale storage capacity this summer by bringing five new battery energy storage systems online in Texas. The new batteries add over 369 MW of dispatchable energy storage to the Texas power grid. Enel has over 3.3 GW of installed wind and solar capacity in the state, with an additional 1.8 GW of solar and 823 MW of utility-scale storage capacity under construction. Enel also manages around 200 MW of demand-response capacity on behalf of commercial and industrial entities in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market and launched a retail energy offering in Texas last year.
UES makes strategic acquisition in Florida
UES (Orlando, Fla.), a national engineering and consulting company, has acquired the ecological consulting firm Biome Consulting Group (Pensacola, Fla.). Biome provides ecological studies and environmental regulatory compliance consulting services throughout the southeastern United States and Caribbean, in addition to being a pioneer of the mitigation banking industry in North Florida. Biome joins the North Florida region of UES, which has made around 20 engineering acquisitions beginning in 2019.
Jacobs awarded Connecticut water treatment plant contract
Jacobs (Dallas) has been selected to operate and maintain The City of Waterbury, Connecticut’s 38-million gallon-per-day conventional surface water treatment plant. The City estimates the 10-year contract value at $25 million inclusive of engineering services and improvements to the overall facility, sludge system, water quality lab and treatment process. Jacobs began full operations and maintenance of the plant in July 2023 and will improve the digital maintenance management through supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and telemetry systems. Enhanced treatment will be achieved through upgrades to the chemical dosing system, water filtration and sludge handling facilities.
Parsons awarded $150M Southern Nevada Water Authority contract
Parsons Corporation (Centreville, Va.) has been selected by Southern Nevada Water Authority to provide program and construction management services for its 2020 Major Construction and Capital Plan. The seven-year $150-million contract includes support for major capital projects. Parsons will provide service for the Garnet Valley water and wastewater projects, Stage II Reliability projects, ozone equipment upgrades, microbiology lab expansion, Lower Las Vegas Wash stabilization, Horizon Lateral Program, flocculation area rehabilitation and the River Mountains Engineering and Operations building.
Arcadis selected for share of $800M PFAS environmental contract
Arcadis U.S. Inc. (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) announced that it has been selected for environmental and remediation services by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Huntsville, Ala. District. Arcadis is one of nine firms to be selected as part of an $800-million shared capacity contract. During the five-year performance period, companies will compete for projects under a competitive bidding process. The scope of services includes the removal, transport and disposal of aqueous film forming foam, containing PFAS from fire suppression systems.
Coastal Geologic joins Natural Systems Design
Coastal Geologic Services (Bellingham, Wash.) has joined Natural Systems Design Inc. (NSD, Seattle, Wash.), an environmental engineering firm. Coastal Geologic serves coastal land managers through assessment and design projects and provides regional science studies primarily in the Puget Sound area and greater Pacific Northwest. Founded in 2003, NSD emphasizes the importance of functional natural processes in sustaining a healthy aquatic ecosystem. Through combining ecology, geomorphology, hydrology, hydraulics, engineering services, and now expertise in coastal management and engineering, NSD designs rivers, streams, wetlands and shorelines that look and perform as functional ecosystems.
Power Engineers acquires Earth Environmental and Civil Inc.
Power Engineers Inc. (Richmond, Va.) is expanding its presence in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions by acquiring Earth Environmental and Civil Inc. (EEC), a 22-person firm located in Rocky Mount, Va. In addition to extending Power’s geographic presence, EEC will bring proven design practices and protocols enabling Power Engineering to enhance its services for clients in the electric utility market; EEC clients will benefit from increased civil and environmental engineering resources and the capabilities of the combined 400-strong Power environmental team.
Construction starts on Louisiana sediment diversion project
Archer Western Construction (Chicago, Ill.) and joint venture partner Alberici Corporation (St. Louis, Mo.) joined Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority to break ground and begin construction on the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. According to the governor’s office, the nearly $3-billion project is one of the most ambitious environmental restoration projects in the state’s history. The joint venture will build up to 26,000 acres of wetlands in the Barataria Basin, an area experiencing some of the highest rates of land loss in the world. The project will feature a controlled gate structure through the river’s levee, a manmade channel, and outfall structure in the basin.
Aleut wins $5.5M task order for low-level radioactive waste remediation
ARS Aleut Remediation LLC (San Diego, Calif.) has been awarded a $5.5-million task order for the safe management and disposal of low-level radioactive waste and low-level radioactive objects. The task order was granted under Aleut’s IDIQ contract with the U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command, Safety and Risk Management Directorate. Aleut will collaborate with NAC Philotechnics on the project. Formed in 2013, ARS Aleut Remediation is a U.S. Small Business Administration certified 8(a) program participant and Small Disadvantaged Business.
MTR begins construction of carbon capture plant
Membrane Technology and Research (MTR) Carbon Capture (Newark, Calif.) has begun construction of a large pilot plant at the Wyoming Integrated Test Center (ITC) in Gillette, Wyo. When operational in 2024, MTR said would be the largest capture plant based on clean membrane technology in the world. MTR Carbon Capture will collect CO2 from flue gas produced by Basin Electric’s Dry Fork Station, a coal-based power plant. The company will use its proprietary Polaris polymeric membrane to capture more than 150 tonnes of CO2 each day. The process uses no chemicals and requires little water, making it more environmentally friendly than conventional solvent-based carbon capture methods. The project is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s large-scale pilot carbon capture program.
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