Natural gas pipelines and power plants and solar and wind power projects will drive energy-related construction in 2019. Power projects are expected to increase between 3% and 8% over 2018, exceeding overall expected construction growth of between 2% to 5%, according to a Dec. 12 construction outlook presentation by Ken Simonson, chief economist of the Associated General Contractors of America.
Other forecasts reflect a similar view. The U.S. Energy Information Administration, in its December Short-Term Energy Outlook, forecasts that utility-scale electricity generation from natural gas-fired power plants will continue to increase while other sources of generation will remain relatively flat.