The Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Alaska together with supporter, Northrim Bank released the 2014 Alaska Construction Spending Forecast. The report highlights the upcoming year for both private and publicly funded projects in construction throughout Alaska. Construction spending is expected to be $9.2 billion, up 18 percent from 2013.
The oil and gas sector is expected to account for nearly half of the total with $4.3 billion. This is over $1 billion higher than the total for oil and gas last year. Private spending, excluding oil and gas will be about $2 billion, which is slightly higher than the 2013, which was $1.9 billion. Public spending will also increase from 2013. It is expected to be $2.9 billion, up from $2.7 billion last year.
There are four major factors for the robust projection for 2014. The largest reason is due expanded investment plans by the oil and gas industry. Other factors include a larger Department of Defense budget, a reallocation of unspent funds federal highway funds, and strong spending by the state government.
The oil and gas industry is expected to see a 33 percent increase over 2013. It is suspected that this is due to the climate of optimism with the passage of the new oil tax structure for 2014. Not only will new construction be a factor in the coming year, aging infrastructure will be will addressed on both the North Slope and in Cook Inlet.
Mining is expected to see a drop in 2014 due to the fact that the price of gold is dropping. More than half of the expected spending in the mining industry will be on maintenance, continued exploration, and new facilities at the operating mines in Alaska. The six large mines currently in operation are Red Dog, Fort Knox, Pogo, Kensington, and Greens Creek all mineral mines and Usibelli, is the state’s only coal mine. There are also smaller projects that will have construction activity throughout the state.
Utilities are expected to see a jump in 2014 with two new large plants being built for MEA (Matanuska Electric Association) and ML&P (Anchorage’s Municipal Light and Power). There will also be hydroelectric projects and renewable resource projects, like wind and biomass. There will also be an increase in telecommunications in 2014. Spending will be a mix of new firms (Verizon) coming into the market and GCI and Alaska Communications expanding and upgrading current facilities. Utility spending is a combination of private and public spending.
On the public side of the forecast, much of the increase for public spending will be seen by defense spending. There will be a huge increase in military spending for facilities on bases and formerly used defense sites. Fort Wainwright has seven new projects including a new warm-storage hangar, which will cost $36 million. Fort Greeley will also see a large increase in projects, including a $1 billion expansion to the missile defense system, which will last over the next seven years.
Other areas of public spending will see slight decreases that are offset by the increase in defense spending. Overall, there will be a modest 6 percent increase in public spending, in comparison to the 24 percent increase in private spending.
The construction trade is Alaska’s third largest industry, paying the second highest wages. Accounting for 20 percent of Alaska’s total economy, the construction industry reflects the pulse of the economy. These numbers do not include construction workers that are in other industries, such as oil and gas, mining, and utilities. It also doesn’t account for self-employed construction workers. In 2011, it was estimated that there were 9,000 self-employed construction workers in Alaska.
The economy has continued to grow in Alaska. This means more jobs and a growth in the population. This growth has been a catalyst for the residential and commercial construction sector. The oil and gas sector is an obvious driver for this growth, but the other areas discussed above are also helping add to the positive forecast for 2014.
The 2014 Construction Spending Forecast was compiled and written by Scott Goldsmith, Mary Killorin and Linda Leask of the University of Alaska’s Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER). Visit Alaskanomics’ Resource Section for the full report.
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