The US National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded $160 million to a team led by Louisiana State University (LSU) to support Louisiana’s energy industry, create jobs in the energy sector, develop innovative solutions to energy challenges, and help train the energy workforce.
The team – known as Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) – is comprised of LSU and more than 50 partners, including universities, community and technical colleges, state agencies, and private energy companies such as Shell, ExxonMobil, and Baker Hughes.
“By teaming up with our partners across the state in education, industry, and government, we are leveraging the intellectual capital of our state’s best and brightest to make a difference for the energy industry and for the people of every parish in Louisiana,” said LSU President William Tate IV.
Together, the FUEL team will work to solve emerging challenges in areas such as:
- Carbon capture, transport, and storage
- Hydrogen use
- Use of carbon dioxide to produce low-carbon fuels and essential carbon-based products
- Water use and management
- Sustainable manufacturing
- Policy development
These initiatives will directly help the energy transition and decarbonization of Louisiana’s industrial corridor, which currently features more than 250,000 people working in the energy, chemical, and petrochemical industries.
“This culminating effort is trajectory-changing for energy transition research, commercialization, and workforce initiatives in Louisiana and all organizations involved,” said LSU VP of Research & Economic Development Robert Twilley. “This NSF grant represents an unparalleled opportunity to educate and retain skilled workers and to expand our future energy economy.”
The FUEL efforts also align with the energy priority of LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda to solve pressing problems in Louisiana. Led by the LSU Institute for Energy Innovation, established through a $27.5 million gift from Shell, FUEL will help the state’s manufacturing plants and refineries adapt to the market’s demand for lower-carbon solutions and reduced reliance on carbon-intensive fuels.
