Shell will be the “anchor catalytic tenant” for the new River District in New Orleans, Louisiana, according to Greater New Orleans, Inc.
The relocation of Shell’s Gulf of Mexico operations headquarters to New Orleans will result in the retention of more than 850 office jobs and more than 2,000 offshore jobs.
GNO, Inc. said in a news release that Shell will occupy “the first Class A office building to be constructed in New Orleans since 1989.”
Shell will enter into a 12-year lease for a custom-designed, 142,000-square-foot, multi-floor building in the River District, which is going to be a mixed-use development.
Plans for the district include connecting the Warehouse and Lower Garden districts to the riverfront and convention center.
GNO, Inc. has worked with Shell throughout the years, not only to keep the company in the region, but on a clean-energy strategy. The strategy includes “wind, carbon capture, and Shell’s conversion of their Convent site to a sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel production facility,” according to GNO, Inc.
The facility is expected to open in 2025.
In addition to Shell, the following partners were involved with the project: Governor John Bel Edwards; Mayor Cantrell; Sen. Royce Duplessis; Lesli Harris and the New Orleans City Council; the Convention Center; Louisiana Economic Development; and the River District team.