DFI Announces 2024 Outstanding Project Award Winner

Plaquemines LNG Driven Pile Megaproject by Cajun Industries

Hawthorne, N.J. :  The winner of the 2024 DFI Outstanding Project Award is the Plaquemines LNG Driven Pile Megaproject, submitted by Cajun Industries. The award is being presented at DFI’s 49th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations in Aurora, Colorado, October 7–10.

The project is a new, 632-acre (255 ha) liquid natural gas (LNG) export facility located in Port Sulphur, Louisiana, owned by Venture Global Plaquemines LNG. The team started with a modest test pile program, employing only one pile driving rig, and by project completion in May, its contribution had expanded to 30 piling rigs, pile installation across 15 diverse scopes of work and providing a dedicated workforce of more than 200 employees.

This work included single-piece pipe piles up to 145 ft (44 m) long, precast concrete piles up to 120 ft (37 m) long, and 41 cofferdams with sheet piles in lengths up to 80 ft (24 m) long as well as 140 ft (43 m) long H-piles, pile crushing and a comprehensive test pile program featuring more than 150 load tests. Overall, crews installed 18,300 piles of various types and sizes.

This year’s runner up is The Heights, a residential development in San Diego submitted by PB&A. The soil nail wall, designed and built as part of this project, is the tallest permanent soil nail wall ever built in the U.S. at 105 ft (32 m). In addition, it was built in a narrow strip of land sandwiched between a major road and a massive 1:1 hillside that rises to a San Diego Gas & Electric easement and high-tension electrical tower above.

Established in 1997, the OPA recognizes the superior work of DFI members. A committee selects the projects based on size, scope and challenges of the project; degree of innovation and ingenuity exercised; and uniqueness of the solution to the difficulties of the job.

About the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI): DFI (www.dfi.org) is an international association of contractors, engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, academics and owners in the deep foundations industry. Our multidisciplinary membership creates a consensus voice and a common vision for continual improvement in the planning, design and construction of deep foundations and excavations. We bring together members for networking, education, communication and collaboration. With our members, we promote the advancement of the deep foundations industry through technical committees, educational programs and conferences, publications, research, government relations and outreach. DFI has more than 4,000 members worldwide.