Spending in the manufacturing sector has ballooned since the CHIPS Act was signed into law in August 2022. Projects underway include everything from plants focused on chip fabrication and electric vehicle batteries to consumer goods and cars.
Here, Construction Dive rounds up the biggest of these projects announced since August 2022, sorted by value and location, along with their contractors when available. Please check this page for regular updates.
The U.S. continues to gain ground on other countries’ manufacturing dominance a year after President Joe Biden signed the $52 billion CHIPS and Science Act in August 2022.
The renewed push to revive American manufacturing after decades of offshoring has led to over $614 billion in private company investment, according to the White House. The multibillion-dollar investments scattered across the country range from biotechnology facilities and chip fabrication plants to electric vehicle battery factories and clean energy projects.
Some major manufacturing projects added to this page over the past four weeks include Nucor’s $3.1 billion dollar manufacturing facility in Apple Grove, West Virginia, and Canadian Solar’s $800 million project in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
The map also lists the contractors working on these projects when they are available. Some of the notable wins since the last update include:
- A Paric-Barton Malow joint venture to build Boeing’s $1.8 billion facility in St. Louis, Missouri.
- Balfour Beatty’s contract on the $650 million Epsilon Advanced Materials facility in Brunswick County, North Carolina.
- AESC’s win on the $700 million BMW battery assembly plant in Woodruff, South Carolina.
Manufacturing construction surges across US
Through September, manufacturing construction spending increased 61.9% in 12 months, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis. On a seasonally adjusted annual rate, spending in the sector hit approximately $198.93 billion in September.
Manufacturing activity skyrockets on the heels of 2022’s CHIPS Act
That exponential growth isn’t expected to hit any speed bumps either, according to Richard Branch, chief economist at Dodge Construction Network.
”Public dollars are flooding into the manufacturing and infrastructure sectors,” said Branch. “[That’s] leading to significant growth over the last year.”
The CHIPS Act provides $52.7 billion for American semiconductor research, development, manufacturing and workforce development. This consists of $39 billion in manufacturing incentives, including $2 billion for the legacy chips used in automobiles and defense systems, $13.2 billion in research and development and workforce development and $500 million to strengthen global supply chains, according to the Biden administration. The CHIPS Act also provides a 25% investment tax credit for capital expenses for manufacturing of semiconductors and related equipment.
Additionally, several $1 billion or more manufacturing projects remain in the pipeline over the remaining months of the year. That should keep construction starts in the sector elevated for the foreseeable future, said Branch.
Construction Dive staff contributed to this report.
