Oil helped fuel South Mississippi comeback in 2015

South Mississippi's economy showed some get-up-and-go in 2015, in part because of the millions of dollars flowing into the area after BP settled on damages from the Gulf oil spill, as well as in savings from the still-dropping prices at the gas pumps.

A look back at the top business stories of 2015:

1. Gas prices: A gallon of gas dipped under $1.90 a gallon in January and although the price started to rise in February, summer gas prices in South Mississippi were the lowest in a decade. With prices heading south of $1.60 a gallon at year's end, the questions are -- how low will it go and how long will it last? Though great for consumers, falling gas prices brought massive layoffs in the oil industry and supporting businesses.

2. Kemper energy facility: The opposite questions are being asked about Mississippi Power's Kemper power plant, where the original price tag of $2.4 billion now is estimated at $6.3 billion. Customers wonder if the plant will be operational by June, as the company suggests, and how high their electric bills will be.

3. Defense spending: Despite budget battles in Washington over defense spending, South Mississippi continues to see billions in total shipbuilding contracts, drone production and aerospace investment.

4. Deep space: NASA's Stennis Space Center, which tested every rocket that ever car

ried Americans into space, spent the year testing RS-25 rockets for NASA's next mission -- Orion and deep space exploration.

5. Scarlet Pearl Casino: The Coast's 12th casino proved that, with tenacity, what seemed improbable can get done. D'Iberville officials celebrated this month when the doors opened to the city's first casino after more than 20 years of trying. The Mississippi Gaming Commission sat three new members in 2015, who will oversee future casino projects in South Mississippi.

6. More development on the way: Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, signs of commercial life are returning to Beach Boulevard. Attractions, restaurants, hotels and homes are going up or are in the plans.

7. Downtown anchors: The Biloxi Shuckers moved in and the minor league baseball stadium spurred plans for new hotels and restaurants in downtown Biloxi. Working for their own home runs are officials in Gulfport, where an aquarium is being designed for downtown, and D'Iberville, with ideas to revitalize its downtown anchored by Scarlet Pearl Casino. Gautier officials are still working on plans to create a downtown.

8. Coast economic indicators: It was a year of rising casino revenue, sales-tax revenue and home-sales prices. This was the first year for such positive numbers since South Mississippi began feeling the pain of the national recession in 2008. The flood of BP money is expected to push the numbers higher in 2016.

9. A place to stay: South Mississippi tourism still lacks pre-Katrina numbers of hotel rooms but got closer this year with the debut of new hotels at the Silver Slipper, Island View and Scarlet Pearl casinos. All the rooms at Harrah's Gulf Coast are being remodeled, the former Casino Magic is making a comeback with a water park and several more hotels are open or going up across the Coast.

10. DAK Americas: The company, already the largest plastic-resin manufacturer in North America at Port Bienville Industrial park in Hancock County, announced construction of a multimillion-dollar plant at the site to manufacture polyester staple fiber. The new plant is scheduled to open next year and create 86 jobs with an average wage of $50,000. Also this year, EmberClear Corp. signed a lease-option agreement on a 150-acre site in Port Bienville to develop a natural gas-to-methanol plant, which could be a $1 billion investment.

This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 9:40 AM with the headline "Oil helped fuel South Mississippi comeback in 2015 ."