LITTLE ROCK, ARK. -- Last year, several big industrial projects commenced construction in Arkansas, reported Industrial Info Resources, Sugar Land, Texas. That trend is expected to continue in 2008 and beyond as nearly $7 billion in planned industrial projects are being evaluated in the state.

Nestle USA Inc. is conducting a $60 million expansion of a frozen foods plant in Jonesboro, Ark. The Haskell Co., Jacksonville, Fla., is providing design-build services for the project, which includes the construction of a 50,000-sq.ft. building addition and the installation of a new pizza production and packaging line. The project is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2008.

Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP, Owensboro, Ky., is constructing a $200 million natural gas pipeline lateral, known as the Fayetteville lateral, which entails the laying of 163 miles of 36-in.-diameter pipeline stretching from Conway County, Arkansas, to Bald Knob, Ark., where it will interconnect with Boardwalk's Texas Gas Pipeline system in Mississippi. Midsouth Constructors, Houston, is the general contractor on the job. Boardwalk Pipeline is constructing a sister pipeline project and compressor station, known as the Greenville Lateral, in Mississippi. Boardwalk spent $1.2 billion in 2007 expanding its natural gas pipeline systems and storage facilities in the south.

Nucor Corp., Charlotte, N.C., is constructing a second Castrip steel mill at the Nucor-Yamato Steel mill in Armorel, Ark. Castrip is a new process for producing steel. The $120 million project should be operational by the end of the year. Nucor is looking at developing other Castrip mills at new locations in the U.S. and abroad.

Currently, industrial firms are developing 131 major capital and maintenance projects, totaling almost $7 billion in Arkansas. The majority of the projects are energy related, including power with $3.6 billion from 34 projects, alternative fuels with $1 billion from eight projects, and oil and gas transmission with 12 projects totaling $1.3 billion. There is also a strong showing from the metals & minerals, industrial manufacturing, food & beverage and chemical processing industries.

Industrial Info Resources is a marketing information service specializing in industrial process and energy related industries with products and services ranging from industry news, forecasting, plant and project databases.