Morrison Provides Civil & Mechanical Installation Services for Raceland Biomass Plant

Morrison recently completed work on a new biochemical processing plant located in Raceland, La. The facility is designed to convert sugar cane bagasse, or sugarcane waste, into industrial sugars and biofuels.

Morrison provided a wide range of civil and mechanical support services over the span of eight months, including the fabrication, coating and installation of mechanical piping, pipe racks, ducts and flutes, supports and equipment platforms.  The company also performed pile driving, modifications, hydro testing, commissioning and civil work. All work for this Raceland project was completed on-budget, on-time and incident-free.

When the project experienced potential quality and schedule impacts, the client engaged Morrison to assist with the compressed schedule, including coordinating efforts with multiple contractors on site.

“Their ability to work nimbly on the project and complete it ahead of schedule made Morrison a welcome addition.  The whole team was wonderful to work with,” says Nicole Coffee, commissioning & startup manager at Stora Enso’s Virdia B2X Biomaterials Site.  “They faced several challenges throughout, mainly a tight congested area with multiple groups trying to get work accomplished, but were friendly and agile enough that they figured out how to stay on track, and actually finish ahead of schedule. They complied with our rules and did not complain. They kept the work area tidy and clean. Every time I observed them they were 100% compliant with PPE. I would welcome any of the guys back to the site in a heartbeat.”

“Based on ongoing activities, they needed a contractor who could come in and get creative to meet deliverable targets. As the project progressed and the scope expanded, we were able to assist them in meeting schedule recovery efforts,” said Derick Bourg, general fabrication manager for Morrison .

The project is supported by the state economic development agency (LED) who provided incentives including a performance-based, $1 million Economic Development Award Program grant to offset infrastructure costs. It is estimated to create 81 new direct and 469 indirect jobs to the region.