Welcome
The Center for Energy Studies (CES) is mandated to provide energy information and analysis that responds to the needs of the legislature, public agencies, and business and civic groups. Faculty and staff respond regularly to requests from a wide variety of individuals and institutions for specialized energy data and information.
CES comprises the following units:
- Radiation Safety Office
- Minerals Processing Research Division
- Oil Spill Research and Development Division
- Energy Information and Data Division
- Policy Analysis Division
- Research and Development Division
Other units affiliated with CES:
News
Upton Testifies on Capitol Hill Regarding Offshore Lease Sales, Hydraulic Fracturing
Bills
On Thursday, September 28, Center for Energy Studies (CES) Interim Executive Director
Greg Upton testified before the House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee
on Energy and Mineral Resources regarding two bills: HR 5616 by Rep. Garret Graves,
“BRIDGE Production Act of 2023,” requiring BOEM to conduct offshore lease sales, and
HR 1121 by Rep. Jeff Duncan, “Protecting American Energy Production Act,” that would
ensure that the federal government could not declare a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing
unless Congress were to authorize one. Read more.
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources Awards LSU $3.2-million Methane Emissions
Project
A new multi-year, $3.2 million multidisciplinary project funded by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources will estimate oil field site restoration costs and methane emissions from orphaned and idle oil and gas wells in Louisiana. Led by principal investigators Greg Upton, interim executive director and associate professor, LSU Center for Energy Studies, and Kanchan Maiti, associate chair and professor, LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, the project aims to determine which wells in the state could potentially represent the best candidates for plugging and abandoning (P&Aing) based on their methane emission potential.
Dept. of Energy Funds $4.9 Million LSU-led Direct Air Capture Hub Feasibility Study
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded an LSU-led consortium a $4.9 million project to support the first phase of the Pelican Gulf Coast Carbon Removal project. The Pelican Consortium, which includes Shell and the University of Houston, will evaluate the feasibility of building a direct air capture (DAC) hub in Louisiana. DAC technologies capture CO2 directly from the atmosphere. The captured CO2 can then be used to manufacture products or be permanently stored in deep geological formations. As envisioned, the hub would enable accelerated and replicable carbon removal and permanent storage in ways that protect and generate jobs in the state.
What is Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage? LSU Faculty Explain 
In response to numerous inquiries regarding the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the 45Q tax credit, which incentivizes the use of carbon capture, utilization and storage, LSU faculty have collaborated on a brief document that describes the nature of CO2, defines utilization and storage, identifies risks involved in the process, and explains why the Gulf Coast region is being considered for CCUS.