Southwest Louisiana is known as the epicenter of the petrochemical industry. But did you know that the region is poised to be at the forefront of the green energy revolution?
Whether it is wind, solar, or carbon capture, the region is attracting national and international interest in constructing projects that could change the trajectory of how we produce and consume energy.
Opdenergy, whose U.S. operation is based out of Lake Mary, FL, recently broke ground on the $150 million Elizabeth Solar project in Allen Parish, LA. The facility will produce 125 megawatts of power once constructed. The energy produced by the project will be purchased by Entergy and power approximately 200,000 homes. The impact of this project is enormous.
The Mississippi River creates easy access to domestic markets, such as Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio. (Photo: Adobe Stock)
According to Allen Parish Administrator Jacob Dillehay nearly $3 million in sales tax revenue is expected to be created by construction alone. Property tax revenue is projected to increase by 35% and will be a shot in the arm for the school district as well as the road maintenance and construction budget. The area of the parish where the project is located currently runs budget deficits. Now, the area is projected to have a surplus because of this project.
Southwest Louisiana has also attracted the interest of companies looking to do carbon capture sequestration projects.
Lake Charles-based Gulf Coast Sequestration (GCS) and Swiss company Climeworks signed a memorandum of agreement to develop the first direct air capture and storage hub in Louisiana. GCS expects to be the first operational carbon storage hub on the Gulf Coast with an anticipated launch date of 2024.
The hub will remove 10 million tons of CO2 emissions annually from the atmosphere.
Lake Charles is recognized as a prime location for wind energy development. In February of this year, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management designated 102,000 acres south of Lake Charles for the development of wind farms.
Solar panel manufacturing facility will create more than 700 new jobs at the Acadiana Regional Airport in Iberia Parish, Louisiana. Read more…
Initial estimates are that the power produced by wind farms in the area in conjunction with areas designated off the coast of Galveston could provide enough electricity to power 1.3 million homes.
The announcement of wind leases in the area has attracted the interest of players in the industry from all over the world including German company RWE.
The auction for the leases will take place in the summer or fall of this year.
The Lake Area region is also part of a consortium led by Greater New Orleans Inc. (GNO) that won a $50 million Build Back Better Grant with an application titled H2theFuture.
H2theFuture is capitalizing on the Gulf of Mexico’s prime location as a wind energy producer. As part of the application, the consortium is looking to produce green hydrogen using electricity produced by wind power.
Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana prove that we can take an all-world approach to energy production.
With a diverse economy built on industry-leading companies, thriving small businesses, high innovation rates, world-class infrastructure and a skilled, educated, and engaged workforce, there’s room for everyone to thrive.
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