BATON ROUGE — An LSU-led collective of more than 50 entities statewide has won the National Science Foundation's largest competitive grant — up to $160 million over the next decade to imagine and build a new energy industry.

The intent is the "decarbonization" of Louisiana's industrial corridor.

The Louisiana team is called "Future Use of Energy in Louisiana," or FUEL. According to a statement from the university, FUEL will work on carbon capture, transport and storage; the use hydrogen; the use of carbon dioxide to produce low-carbon fuels and essential carbon-based products; water use and management; sustainable manufacturing; and policy development.  

The Louisiana Economic Development office will contribute another $67.5 million over the next decade, pushing the investment to more than $220 million.

LSU said the plan fits into President William F. Tate IV's "Scholarship First" agenda, which he launched during his first year as LSU's on-campus leader. He has referred to it both as his "ABCDE Plan" and his "Pentagon Plan."

“Leading the FUEL team and being selected for this transformational grant affirms what we already knew—that LSU is one of the nation’s premier research universities, poised to change the lives of the people of Louisiana and the world,” Tate said. "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.”

LSU said the U.S. National Science Foundation looked at more than 700 proposals, then gave 188 teams permission to submit grant proposals. 

The petrochemical industry is a key part of the Louisiana economy, but growing market demand for lower carbon emissions  has prompted looks at how manufacturers do business.

"This culminating effort is trajectory-changing for energy transition research, commercialization and workforce initiatives in Louisiana and all organizations involved," said Andrew Maas, the associate vice president for research in the LSU Office of Innovation & Ecosystem Development. He is the lead investigator on the project.

Most of the state's universities are aboard, as are local economic development offices and industry giants. For more information about the program, visit the project website.