Business briefs

LSU gets $1M gift from Entergy
BATON ROUGE — Power provider Entergy Louisiana says it will give $1 million to Louisiana State University’s College of Engineering to provide a research laboratory and classroom complex.
LSU has raised more than $50 million to renovate Patrick F. Taylor Hall, which will be turned into a high-tech engineering complex.
LSU and the state of Louisiana have a partnership under which the state matches dollars raised by the university.
LSU officials say Entergy’s donation will help promote innovative research and teaching.
The latest gift follows Entergy’s earlier $300,000 gift to the engineering college for equipment.
Entergy Louisiana is a subsidiary of New Orleans-based Entergy Corp.

Opening date pushed back for Brennan restaurant
NEW ORLEANS — Ralph Brennan’s new and as-yet unnamed French Quarter restaurant will open around Labor Day rather than in the spring as originally planned.
The restaurant will open in the former location of Brennan’s at 417 Royal St.
“It’s the scope of the work,” said Brennan, a co-owner. “I misjudged, and I did the same thing with Ralph’s on the Park. It’s a wonderful building, but it needed more work than we anticipated.”
The pink building was constructed in 1795 and became Brennan’s restaurant in 1956.
After foreclosure, the building was sold at a sheriff’s auction in May 2103 for $6.85 million. Brennan and businessman Terry White bought the property.
Brennan said the downstairs layout has been changed and an entirely new kitchen will be installed.
In February, a second-story floor partly collapsed but Brennan characterized it as a minor setback.

Textron lays off 128 as Army contract runs out
NEW ORLEANS — Textron Marine & Land Systems has laid off 128 employees after a contract to refurbish armored vehicles for the U.S. Army expired.
Spokesman Tom Williams said the last of the layoffs were made Thursday, mostly affecting workers at the company’s New Orleans shipyard. A smaller number of workers at the company’s Slidell operations were also laid off.
About 850 people worked for Textron in Slidell and New Orleans before the layoffs, which began several weeks ago. That figure doesn’t count short-term contract workers.
Textron is building a new generation of air-cushioned hovercraft for the Navy and also has a contract to build 500 armored vehicles for Canada.

U.S. rig count up 13 to 1,831
HOUSTON — Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. rose by 13 this week to 1,831.
The Houston firm said in its weekly report Friday that 1,517 rigs were exploring for oil and 310 for gas. Four were listed as miscellaneous. A year ago there were 1,771 active rigs.
Of the major oil- and gas-producing states, Louisiana gained nine rigs, Texas increased by seven, California gained three and New Mexico increased by one.
Ohio lost four and Alaska, Arkansas and Oklahoma fell one apiece.
Colorado, Kansas, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming were unchanged.
The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981 and bottomed at 488 in 1999.

Chouest invests $425M in Brazilian deepwater port
GALLIANO — Galliano shipbuilder and oilfield service provider Edison Chouest will invest more than $400 million in deepwater port facilities in Brazil.
Prumo Logistica, who is leasing the property, says the investment will give Chouest a leasing area to maintain its own vessels and a base to serve its offshore customers at Brazil’s Acu Port at São João da Barra in the Rio de Janeiro state.
Chouest’s port and logistical offerings at Port Fourchon are renowned for success in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
In a statement, Edison Chouest founder Gary Chouest said the port is strategically close to the growing Campos Basin and features deepwater draft.
Chouest added that the surrounding area allows for expansion and further growth from a chain of oilfield suppliers.
The 60-acre lease will have deepwater berths for up to 12 vessels and comes with options to grow to 18 vessels.

Fink elected
Frank Fink, parish director of economic development, was elected vice president of the Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association according to the April issues of the St. Mary Parish Economic Development News newsletter.

Pipeline owner seeks to abandon pipeline
MONROE — Federal regulators have denied a request from American Midstream Partners to speed up consideration of its proposed abandonment of the Midla natural gas pipeline in Louisiana and Mississippi.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission refused to shorten the objection period for people opposed to the abandonment.
American Midstream had asked for a 10-day window during which people could file complaints. The federal agency more than doubled that request by granting a 22-day intervention window. Interventions are due by May 2.
American Midstream wants regulators to make a decision about the abandonment by July 1.
The natural gas pipeline serves Natchez, Woodville and other areas in southwest Mississippi and nine parishes in eastern Louisiana, including the Clayton, Ferriday, Ridgecrest and Vidalia areas.
American Midstream wants to abandon the pipeline over safety concerns because of the pipeline’s age. It was built in the 1920s and is now about 50 years beyond its predicted lifespan, the company said.
Denver-based American Midstream, a subsidiary of Boston-based hedge fund ArcLight Capital, filed an application with federal regulators in March.
Officials in Louisiana and Mississippi have questioned the decision.
American Midstream officials have said they were forced to file to abandon the pipeline after negotiations with their customers, including Atmos Energy, yielded no new contracts needed to replace parts of the line. Dallas-based Atmos has filed a complaint with regulators over American Midstream’s plans.
The company has said it has looked into alternatives to operating the pipeline as is, including partial reconstruction of the line or trucking compressed natural gas to its existing distribution system connections.
The company estimates those options will cost approximately $1.76 a month more for customer meters on the Atmos system.
Frank Fink, parish director of economic development, was elected vice-president of the Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association according to the April issues of the St. Mary Parish Economic Development News newsletter.