Soil Improvement for Future Clean Energy Facility

This soil improvement project supported the construction of a large-scale clean energy complex in Louisiana, advancing the production of low-carbon hydrogen and strengthening America’s energy independence. The 1,200-acre site, formerly sugarcane fields located within a major river floodplain, along the Mississippi River, presented significant constructability, logistics, and environmental challenges due to incompetent soils, year-round wet conditions, restricted drainage options, and limited regional material availability. 
 
Early in construction, a named storm followed by weeks of record rainfall delayed progress by seven weeks, severely impacting soil conditions and site accessibility. Compounding these challenges were jurisdictional limitations that restricted positive drainage systems and procurement constraints that required sourcing massive quantities of aggregate, cement, sand, and precast piles from outside the region.

As part of our Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) strategy, we partnered with the design team beginning at the 30% design stage and remained fully engaged through construction. This early collaboration allowed us to influence constructability, sequencing, and material sourcing strategies, resulting in a 23.7% overall cost savings for the client. 
 
The project scope included more than one million cubic yards of mass excavation, over 600,000 cubic yards of soil stabilization, the import and placement of more than two million tons of material, and installation of 22,500 precast reinforced concrete piles.  
 
To reduce impacts on the surrounding community, we secured adjacent property and imported materials via ocean and river transport, eliminating more than 150,000 truck trips. A custom conveyor bridge was designed and built over a railroad and jurisdictional ditch to safely deliver materials to the site. 
 
After identifying discrepancies in the geotechnical engineer’s soil classifications, we performed additional testing and recommended a revised stabilization approach that significantly reduced material quantities and hauling. This redesign generated approximately $6 million in savings and shortened the project schedule. Continued collaboration also led to the selection of a more efficient geosynthetic system, saving an additional $4 million. 
 
We implemented innovative soil stabilization methods, including bucket mixing with excavators in low-strength zones and transitioning to stabilizers as conditions improved. Site access was maintained through the construction with 27 specialized bridges, use of off-road haul trucks with flotation tires, and stabilization of access roads with calcium sulfate. Dewatering systems and extended work hours were employed to recover the seven-week weather delay. 
 
A strong site-wide safety culture was established using our Incident and Injury Free practices, supported by CAT simulators that allowed operators to build and refine skills in a controlled virtual environment.

The project was successfully completed with all major haul roads, foundations, and access infrastructure fully established, enabling the clean energy facility to proceed to vertical construction with confidence. 

Early contractor involvement drove data-informed design decisions, accelerated the schedule, minimized community impacts, and delivered significant cost savings exceeding $30 million. The project stands as a model for how proactive collaboration, logistics innovation, and field-driven engineering solutions can safely deliver complex infrastructure that advances America’s clean energy future.