Rabalais I+E Constructors Inc.

In today’s heavily regulated oil & gas industry, the need for accountability requires special attention be given to documentation. RTU/SCADA technology is utilized to help improve operations and link operations to business operations for a variety of purposes, including business performance management and leveraging investments in existing assets and systems to optimize capital expenditures.

From production and gathering to transmission and distribution, RTU/SCADA technology automates data flow and work flow with higher accuracy and improved productivity, reducing the risk of downtime for upstream and midstream facilities and in refining operations.

Since 1984, Rabalais I & E Constructors has led the electrical and instrumentation services sector in the oilfield throughout the Southwestern United States. The company provides full electrical and instrumentation services, including RTU/SCADA programming and control system integration services.

Instrument calibration is critical to a successful installation of any instrument system. Accuracy of the information produced by any instrument is dependent on proper calibration. Rabalais saves time and cost during construction of its clients’ projects by performing field and bench calibrations prior to installation.

The company calibrates, certifies and documents every instrument. Pre-installed instruments are field calibrated and all calibration services include complete control loop testing.

Rabalais’ experience in the Eagle Ford Shale is extensive. With large fields like Chesapeake Energy’s Faith and Petty Ranch projects, Rabalais’ project management team and craftspeople brought power to the remote upstream production sites and facilities at the very start of the shale play. For Chesapeake’s midstream operations, Rabalais’ Control Integration department installed the heavy instrumentation, including the programmable logic controllers (PLCs) required to manage and control the company’s huge natural gas flow operations and reserves. The company also provided the electrical service to Chesapeake Energy’s lease accounting custody transfer units.

“Our focus is on bringing our clients the power to manage their drilling or pipeline projects quickly and efficiently … on and offshore,” President Kevin Sharp said. “We have provided electrical and instrumentation services to the oilfield’s most notable producers and drillers, not only in the Eagle Ford, but also in the Permian Basin, the Bakken and the Barnett shales.”

Rabalais’ team of dedicated, experienced professionals and on-site superintendents has decades of experience in managing the electrical and instrumentation needs of the oil and gas industry.

Imagine building a “small city” of operations 60 miles from any major city. Every day, Eagle Ford Shale producers face incredibly difficult challenges to begin the production process on their leases. Electrical power to the location is key. The process of constructing the facility includes the need for temporary power and generators for lighting systems, security and access controls, as well as teledata and fiber optics.

Industry insiders have come to rely on Rabalais as a primary partner to design/build their locations from day one, often in remote, hostile conditions. From high voltage splicing, testing and terminations to primary and secondary systems, pneumatic and process tubing, and distributive control systems with RTU/SCADA programming, industry professionals know there’s no substitute for experience when time is of the essence. Choosing Rabalais I&E Constructors for its expertise and ability to manage projects with the utmost safety allows project managers to bring it to their companies on time and on budget.

“The Rabalais teams at our West Plant Heater Logic Project did an outstanding job, as usual,” said Norby Almaraz, construction manager, CITGO Refining & Chemicals L.P. “I can’t find enough words to describe their performance. From one extreme to the other, field folks and support staff came together like a well-oiled machine and executed in an unbelievable fashion. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to work with such a fine group of individuals.”

Rabalais enjoys one of the highest EMR safety ratings in their industry. “Safety is priority one at Rabalais I & E Constructors,” said Sharp. “We invest heavily in the latest training, safety gear and tools of the trade, and we require our subcontractors adhere to the same standards we have for training. I’m very proud of our 2012 EMR rating of .51.”

“I spent the weekend with a Rabalais crew at Strawberry Station while hooking up the emergency generators and I appreciate the safe work that was performed under the leadership of Rabalais’ project manager,” said W.E. (Ned) Balcom, C/N Projects, Central, West Team FLS, Exxon/Mobil Corp. “Many long hours were worked and the weather was terrible most of the time. The project manager did not take any risk that would have put his crew or my employees in danger and that is the kind of contractor we need for our flawless operations.”

“We’ve been serving the petroleum refining and petrochemical industry for nearly three decades,” said Sharp. “And we’ve invested in the latest technology to assist our clients in reaching their production goals.” The company has served industry gathering and distribution giants like Kinder Morgan, Access Midstream and TexStar Midstream in recent projects as well as pipeline owners like Koch Pipeline.

“Right now, we’re in the process of building storage tank farms for NuStar Energy to house their Eagle Ford Shale crude production and rich condensate,” said Sharp. “For Kinder Morgan, we’re installing power to their pump stations and gas compressors.”

In the petroleum refining sector, Rabalais serves refineries in Texas and Louisiana, providing system integration, PLC systems and RTU/SCADA programming, as well as emergency disaster response and maintenance services. “Every day, we have a team at one refinery or another, improving their production capabilities, upgrading their control systems and maintaining critical systems,” said Sharp. “Because we are so familiar with the latest technology in the petroleum refining industry, we work closely with plant and reliability managers to safely increase their production and maintain optimum uptime.”

“We design and install easy-to-use operator interfaces with networked reporting capabilities and an entire SCADA system that offers superior alarm management, real time and historical trending, built-in reporting, statistical process control and powerful analysis tools,” said Darrell Harned, Systems Group Vice President. “We fabricate robust, complete solutions for plant automation systems that maximize our clients’ investment.”

With six offices throughout Texas and Louisiana, and the continued growth of the Eagle Ford Shale and Permian Basin, Rabalais Instrument & Electrical Constructors is poised and ready to meet the myriad demands of the oilfield. Headquartered in Corpus Christi, Texas, with Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Midland/Odessa and Baton Rouge, La., locations, a Rabalais team of highly committed electrical and instrumentation experts is nearby your lease or refinery.

Rabalais’ commitment to excellence doesn’t end at providing top quality services to its clients. The company and its staff donate and volunteer countless man hours and generously supports many local non-profit organizations in the community. “We are committed to increasing quality of life in the communities in which we do business, for our clients, our neighbors and our employees,” said Sharp. “Making a measurable difference is just what we do.”