Næxon

09/25/2026 — The U.S. industrial construction picture is shifting quickly as refinery outages increase, major LNG projects move deeper into construction, natural-gas infrastructure expands and enormous data-center developments create a new class of power-generation and pipeline work.

For pipefitters, steamfitters, welders, boilermakers, millwrights, electricians, instrumentation technicians, ironworkers, riggers, scaffold builders and industrial construction crews, several developments deserve close attention.

Refinery Outages Rise as Maintenance Season Develops

U.S. refinery crude-unit outages increased by approximately 407,000 barrels per day during the week ending September 18. Planned maintenance, extended work and unplanned outages are contributing to the increase as the industry moves through the traditional fall turnaround period.

The Midwest has been particularly affected. ExxonMobil’s approximately 250,000-barrel-per-day Joliet refinery experienced a power outage September 13 that resulted in a plant-wide shutdown. In Delaware, portions of PBF Energy’s Delaware City refinery were shut following a September 21 fire.

There is an important longer-term development behind those numbers: some refinery operators are pushing maintenance originally planned for 2026 into 2027. Planned work involving 10 crude units at seven U.S. refineries has reportedly moved from fall 2026 to fall 2027. Planned crude-unit outages for fall 2026 are now lower than earlier expectations, while scheduled fall 2027 work has increased.

What It Means for the Trades

The shift does not necessarily mean refinery maintenance work is disappearing. It means the timing is changing.

If the deferred projects remain on their revised schedules, fall 2027 could become a heavier turnaround period than previously anticipated. Contractors, travelers and skilled trades should watch these facilities well before manpower calls begin because scaffold erection, material staging, prefabrication and contractor mobilization can start ahead of the main shutdown.

Louisiana LNG Construction Continues to Advance

Construction continues on Woodside’s Louisiana LNG development, where the first massive LNG storage tank is taking shape. The tank has a planned capacity of approximately 235,000 cubic meters and forms part of the first phase of the export project.

Large LNG storage tanks are only one piece of these developments. LNG construction creates extensive work involving cryogenic piping, process piping, structural steel, electrical systems, instrumentation, compressors, utilities, pipe racks, equipment setting and commissioning.

Louisiana therefore remains one of the most important states to watch for large-scale Gulf Coast industrial construction.

Venture Global Advances Plaquemines LNG and Cloud Connector Infrastructure

Another major Louisiana development is taking shape around Venture Global’s LNG system.

Baker Hughes recently received orders supporting both the Cloud Connector Pipeline and expansion of the Plaquemines LNG facility. The pipeline equipment package includes 13 gas-compression systems driven by Frame 5/2E gas turbines. The LNG expansion package includes four liquefaction blocks containing eight liquefaction modules.

The Cloud Connector project is also moving through Louisiana’s permitting process. Activity covers multiple parishes, including Assumption, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines and Terrebonne.

This is exactly the type of early project signal worth tracking before construction manpower reaches peak levels.

Corpus Christi LNG Expansion Moves Toward Another Major Phase

Texas remains another major LNG construction center.

Cheniere completed Corpus Christi Liquefaction Stage 3 in August, bringing the seventh and final train of that expansion under its control. The completed expansion increased the terminal to approximately 3.1 Bcf/d of nominal liquefaction capacity, making Corpus Christi one of the largest operating LNG facilities in the United States.

But construction around the site is not finished.

The separate Corpus Christi Liquefaction Midscale project remains under construction and is expected to add two more trains in 2028. Meanwhile, an even larger Stage 4 proposal is progressing through federal environmental review.

Stage 4 would include four new liquefaction trains, two 220,000-cubic-meter LNG storage tanks, another marine berth, additional pipeway and loading infrastructure, flare systems and a 48-inch terminal supply pipeline approximately one mile long.

For industrial trades, Corpus Christi should remain a location to watch well beyond the completion of Stage 3.

New 30-Inch Pipeline Planned Specifically for Data-Center Power

One of the clearest examples of the collision between the natural-gas and data-center industries emerged this week.

Woodway Energy Infrastructure announced agreements to develop, construct, own and operate a new 22-mile, 30-inch natural-gas pipeline. The pipeline is intended to provide dedicated gas transportation to behind-the-meter generation supporting hyperscale data-center development.

That is significant for the skilled trades because data centers are increasingly becoming more than electrical and building projects.

Gigawatt-scale campuses can require pipelines, gas turbines, substations, cooling plants, water systems, mechanical piping and extensive supporting infrastructure.

The boundary between traditional industrial construction and data-center construction is becoming increasingly blurred.

2-Gigawatt Pennsylvania Data-Center Campus Breaks Ground

Another major development is underway in Pennsylvania.

Aligned Data Centers has broken ground on Project Phoenix in Shippingport, Beaver County. The planned campus is rated at approximately 2 gigawatts and is being developed at the Shippingport Industrial Park near the former Bruce Mansfield coal-fired power plant.

The campus is planned as three facilities and is adjacent to a redevelopment capable of providing large-scale behind-the-meter natural-gas generation.

Projects of this scale can create demand far beyond conventional data-center construction. Mechanical systems, power generation, substations, cooling infrastructure, structural steel, underground utilities and supporting gas infrastructure can all become significant construction packages.

For Næxon Intel, Beaver County should be treated as an active project area worth watching for EPC assignments, subcontract awards and future skilled-trades mobilization.

$10 Billion El Paso Data Center Drives New Gas Generation

In Texas, Meta’s approximately $10 billion, 1-gigawatt El Paso data-center project continues advancing while its power requirements move through the regulatory process.

El Paso Electric is seeking approval for approximately 366 megawatts of new natural-gas generation using modular generating equipment to help serve the project. The proposal represents another example of enormous computing developments creating demand for new energy infrastructure outside the data-center buildings themselves.

This is an important trend for industrial construction.

The opportunity for skilled trades may not always be inside the data center. It may instead be at the power plant, pipeline, compressor station, substation, cooling plant or utility infrastructure constructed beside it.

Industrial Outlook

Three major trends are becoming increasingly visible.

Refinery turnaround schedules are shifting, with some 2026 work moving into 2027. Gulf Coast LNG construction continues producing large mechanical and infrastructure packages. At the same time, data centers are beginning to generate their own pipeline and power-generation projects.

That combination could create opportunities across several traditionally separate construction markets.

For traveling pipefitters, steamfitters, welders, electricians, millwrights, boilermakers, ironworkers, riggers, scaffold builders, instrumentation technicians and other industrial trades, the projects worth watching are increasingly the ones where energy infrastructure and data-center construction meet.

Næxon Intel will continue tracking these projects as they move from announcement and permitting into EPC awards, contractor mobilization, construction and hiring.

Featured Image Notice: Create an original portrait editorial image showing large industrial piping and refinery infrastructure transitioning into LNG equipment, power generation and a modern data-center campus. Apple-style, extremely clean and minimal, light #F5F5F7 background, dark industrial details, restrained #0071E3 accents, no company logos, minimal text, with a small Næxon/NAEXON.COM credit in the bottom-right.