The Center for Energy Studies (CES) has been unified under the LSU Energy Institute pursuant to Act 331 of the 2026 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature. This website will be archived and no longer be updated after July 1, 2026.
For the latest news, research, and resources, please visit the LSU Energy Institute at energy.lsu.edu.
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:
Other units affiliated with CES:
Gregory B. Upton, LSU Center for Energy Studies, along with Anurag Mandalika, LSU Center for Energy Studies and Brian Snyder, LSU Department of Environmental Sciences have co-authored a report titled, "Economic Implications of Carbon Capture and Sequestration Projects for Louisiana".
This report presents estimates of the potential economic activity associated with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects in Louisiana. Using publicly announced projects and associated infrastructure requirements, the analysis compiles investment, employment, and output estimates based on the modeling framework described in the report.
The analysis identifies 13 announced projects with a carbon capture component with investments totaling approximately $48 billion. In addition, the study identifies 33 existing facilities as practically feasible for CO₂ capture that currently employ approximately 4,200 workers. The report also estimates the pipeline infrastructure and Class VI sequestration wells required to sequester approximately 46 million metric tons of CO₂ per year from these announced and existing facilities.
Center Releases White Paper on Carbon Sequestration Fee Structures
Keith Hall, LSU Mineral Law Center and John P. Laborde Energy Law Center, and Greg Upton Jr., LSU Center for Energy Studies, along with Daniel Keniston, LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business, and Joanna Walker, LSU Center for Energy Studies have co-authored a white paper titled, "Legal and Regulatory Considerations for Carbon Sequestration Fee Structures".
This white paper examines the legal and regulatory issues that arise when developing carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, with a focus on Louisiana and comparisons to broader U.S. practices. Because CCS requires injecting carbon dioxide deep underground, operators must secure rights to use subsurface pore space—an area of law that is still evolving and differs in key ways from traditional oil and gas activity.
The paper explains why CCS developers need legal rights to pore space, touching on foundational property law concepts like ad coelum and the risk of trespass if injected CO₂ migrates beyond a project boundary. It reviews the types of agreements used to obtain pore space rights (e.g., leases, servitudes) and the compensation models associated with them. It also discusses statutory tools—such as unitization and eminent domain—that may be used when private agreements with all landowners cannot be reached.
LSU Energy Institute Names Tyler Gray Director of Energy Innovation
The LSU Energy Institute has named Tyler Gray as its inaugural director of energy
innovation, a key leadership role within LSU’s expanding energy research and policy
enterprise. Gray’s appointment marks an important step in LSU’s continued move to
align energy-focused units under a single institute to serve Louisiana’s evolving
energy economy.
Gray previously served as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Conservation and
Energy since the inauguration of Governor Jeff Landry. During his tenure in the Governor’s
cabinet, Gray spearheaded efforts to modernize Louisiana’s energy and natural resource
governance. His move to LSU reinforces a shared commitment between higher education,
industry, and government to connect scholarly research with practical implementation.
“Under my administration, we’ve modernized how Louisiana manages energy and natural
resources—clear roles, better oversight, and a stronger foundation—and Tyler was central
to that effort,” Governor Jeff Landry said. “His move to the Energy Institute will
continue building a cohesive, trusted pipeline from research to execution so projects
are safe, technically sound, and delivered with confidence. I’m asking everyone—industry,
higher education, and agencies—to row in the same direction. One team. This is an
opportunity to align talent and research to Louisiana’s needs and move faster on the
projects that matter to families across our state.”
Center Releases White Paper on Orphan and Idle Wells in Louisiana
Gregory B. Upton Jr., LSU Center for Energy Studies; Mark Agerton, UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics; Ipsita Gupta, LSU Department of Petroleum Engineering; Kanchan Maiti, LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences; Siddhartha Narra, LSU Center for Energy Studies; Brian Snyder, LSU Department of Environmental Sciences; and Joanna Walker, LSU Center for Energy Studies, have co-authored a report titled "Orphan and Idle Wells in Louisiana," published in July 2025.
Researchers at LSU were tasked by the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) to estimate the costs of plugging orphan and idle wells and assess methane emissions from orphan wells. This report provides background on the Louisiana Oilfield Site Restoration (OSR) program created in 1993 and estimates the total cost to plug orphan and idle wells. In 2023, the OSR Program’s efforts were augmented by federal funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which allocated $4.7 billion for orphan well site plugging, remediation, and restoration across the U.S. Louisiana has received an initial $25 million grant and anticipates receiving approximately $156 million in additional grant funds over the next several years.
Center Releases White Paper on the Production and Potential for Biofuels in Louisiana
Center for Energy Studies Assistant Professor of Research, Dr. Anurag Mandalika, has authored a white paper titled, “The Biofuels Landscape in Louisiana”.
This paper discusses biomass types and availability in the state, drawing from an analysis of the US Department of Energy’s Billion Ton 23 report, followed by an assessment of current and potential future biofuels production in Louisiana. Louisiana leads the nation in the production of renewable diesel, and biofuels contribute ~4.2% to primary energy production in the state. Deployment of announced biofuels projects has the potential to increase this contribution to ~9.2%. Production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is likely to see an increase in the state with several project announcements focusing on this fuel.
Center Announces Launch of Louisiana Energy News Online Resource
The Center is pleased to announce the launch of a new online application — the Louisiana Energy News. This tool was developed in response to Act 727 of the 2024 Regular Legislative Session, which calls upon CES, in cooperation with the Office of Energy within the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources, to create and maintain a central, comprehensive, and unified energy data and information program for the state. This online resource centralizes historical energy sector news, providing a comprehensive view of developments shaping our state's energy landscape and receives daily updates to ensure stakeholders have timely access to important information.
Access the Louisiana Energy News online application here.
Center Releases White Paper on Potential for Hydrogen in Louisiana
Dr. Anurag Mandalika, Assistant Professor of Research at the Center for Energy Studies, and Dr. Greg Upton Jr., Executive Director and Associate Professor of Research, along with Dr. Brian Snyder, Professor of Environmental Science, and Dr. John Flake, Professor of Chemical Engineering, at LSU have co-authored a white paper titled "The Potential for Hydrogen in Louisiana.”
This paper discusses the different types of hydrogen, their production processes, and current and potential future uses in Louisiana while considering its potential as a low-carbon emission fuel. Low carbon or “clean hydrogen” is the focus of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Section 45V production tax credit which has led to additional interest in hydrogen production in Louisiana.
The Greater New Orleans Development Foundation (GNODF) commissioned LSU-CES to study the potential for hydrogen consumption in Louisiana through the H2theFuture initiative.
Center Releases White Paper on Economic Implications of Offshore Wind Scenarios
Center for Energy Studies Executive Director Dr. Greg Upton, Jr., and Research Fellow
Gregory Albrecht, in partnership with Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES)
Forum, have prepared a white paper titled “Potential Economic Implications of Offshore
Wind for the U.S. Economy.” The paper considers the economic implications of two potential
U.S. offshore wind build-out scenarios, the 2023 Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) projection
and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) projection, including job creation
and GDP. The economic impact analysis of both scenarios indicates that development
of the industry could support a substantial number of jobs, earnings, and overall
domestic product within the U.S., during construction itself and from operations of
the built-out capacity.
