[Project Summary: Post Hurricane Assessment of OCS-Related Infrastructure and Communities in the GOMR] Page: 2 of 4

                                
ACCESS NUMBER: 12280

facilities, ports, roads, pipelines, and processing stations have arisen to support
offshore production.
The GOM region is an inseparable part of the North American energy value chain and
the supporting infrastructure in the region is an invaluable link in connecting important
fossil fuel supplies with the North American energy market. Even a moderate
severance of any link, impacts and weakens the entire chain and its ability to distribute
critical energy supplies to the nation.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this research has been to examine the wide range of
energy infrastructure assets along the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) that supports, or is
supported by, offshore oil and gas production. The sectors and infrastructure examined
include: platform fabrication yards; shipyards and shipbuilding yards; port facilities;
support and transport facilities; waste management facilities; pipelines; pipe-coating
yards; liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities; natural gas processing facilities; natural gas
storage facilities; refineries; petrochemical plants; and electric power infrastructure.
A number of issues and aspects were examined for each of these sectors that includes
a basic description of the industry and the types of services provided; typical industry
characteristics that includes an examination of the typical types of facilities, the
geographical distribution of the firms and their location along the Gulf of Mexico, and
identification of typical or leading firms in those particular sectors; and regulation of the
industry.
DESCRIPTION: An earlier study sponsored by the Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management (BOEM) surveyed a wide range of existing onshore infrastructure
supporting offshore activities. An Infrastructure Fact Book was completed in June 2004,
and a good portion of the research supporting this project was conducted during the
2001-2003 time period. A number of changes have occurred in the industry since this
time period necessitating an update.
SIGNIFICANT CONCLUSIONS: The conclusion of the report is that the region's
energy infrastructure is an important component of the overall value chain of North
American energy production, refining, transportation, and distribution. A disruption in
the region's infrastructure can have dramatic implications for not only domestic, but
world-wide energy markets.
STUDY RESULTS: With an increase in annual spending in the GOM and the growth of
deepwater activity, the platform fabrication industry will remain strong. The companies
that are capable of producing platforms for deepwater will most likely have a competitive
advantage.
Some of the growth in the GOM shipbuilding market can be attributed to offshore supply
vessels (OSVs). The OSV market is of particular importance to the GOM shipbuilding
and repair industry. With the offshore exploration and production move to deeper
waters, newer boats will be needed. The new generation of boats that is being built