Frequently Asked Questions
The Louisiana Legislature created the Center for Energy Studies (CES) in 1982 to provide trusted, non-advocacy energy research for policymakers, citizens, and industry. Since then, LSU's energy programs have grown through research and partnerships with industry, government, and communities, including new statutory responsibilities under Act 727 of 2024 and Act 458 of 2025. Established in September 2025, the LSU Energy Institute brings together LSU's energy expertise in a unified institute alongside the Louisiana Geological Survey to better serve the people of Louisiana as part of LSU's Scholarship First Agenda, where energy is a top-five priority.
By consolidating and coordinating resources under one institute, LSU can more effectively meet its legislative mandates, support policymakers and the energy industry, and provide Louisiana's citizens with clear and reliable insights into energy and geosciences. This structure supports state agencies, improves access to data and research for communities, and promotes efficient use of public and philanthropic resources to address current and emerging energy issues in Louisiana.
The LSU Energy Institute is organized around seven interconnected core areas: Energy Policy, Energy Research, Development & Demonstration (RD&D), Energy Education & Outreach, Energy Information & Data, Energy Innovation, Energy Law, and the Louisiana Geological Survey (LGS). Together, these efforts support activities such as statewide geological mapping, public energy data platforms, teacher training, policy analysis, and research related to existing and new energy technologies.
The LSU Energy Institute is committed to rigorous, objective analysis and maintains a non-advocacy stance in all its work. This means the Institute provides evidence-based research and data without promoting specific policy outcomes or advocating for particular interests. Its legislative mandate calls for the Institute to serve as a trusted, neutral resource for policymakers, industry, communities, and the public, and this focus on transparency and analytical rigor has guided its work for more than four decades.
Energy policy has been a defining focus of the LSU Center for Energy Studies since 1982 and remains central to the LSU Energy Institute. The Energy Policy core area provides rigorous, objective analysis to support energy-related decision-making by the Louisiana Legislature, state agencies, and regulatory bodies. Faculty and researchers affiliated with this core area engage directly with policymakers through service on legislative task forces, testimony before committees and the Louisiana Public Service Commission, and briefings to executive agencies. The core area also contributes to national policy discussions through participation on the National Petroleum Council, the Center for Legislative Energy & Environmental Research, and testimony provided to the U.S. Congress and federal agencies.
The Energy Institute's policy work serves policymakers, regulators, industry stakeholders, and the general public. While Louisiana's energy system and policy environment are a central point of reference, the Institute's analysis also informs state, national, and global discussions on energy-related challenges and opportunities.
The Energy Institute serves as a resource for policymakers by providing information on energy trends, policies, and technologies that affect Louisiana's economy and citizens. Staff respond to legislative requests for specialized energy data and information and track research studies and legislation related to energy policy at both state and federal levels. Under Acts 727 (2024) and 458 (2025) of recent legislative sessions, the Institute's statutory responsibilities have expanded to include a centralized energy data program and additional analysis to support informed decision-making.
Research, development, and demonstration are central to the mission of the LSU Energy Institute. The RD&D core area provides a coordinated framework for advancing high-quality, relevant energy research across the LSU campus. A key function is to lead and coordinate LSU's efforts related to demonstration-scale energy projects, which serve as a bridge between research and real-world application by allowing new technologies, systems, and approaches to be tested, evaluated, and refined under practical conditions.
The Energy Institute convenes faculty, students, industry partners, and public agencies to position LSU as a hub for applied energy demonstration and learning. LSU faculty organizing multidisciplinary externally funded research proposals can seek assistance from the Energy Institute for convening meetings and providing coordination support.
Yes. The RD&D core area is responsible for documenting and organizing the substantial body of historical research conducted by the Center for Energy Studies, the Louisiana Geological Survey, and affiliated units and faculty. Preserving and synthesizing this work ensures that past research continues to inform current analysis and future project development.
Research output includes both peer-reviewed scholarly publications and white papers intended for broader audiences. These publications support informed decision-making across Louisiana's energy sector and beyond, with an emphasis on rigor, relevance, and transparency.
The Energy Innovation core area builds on work initiated through the Institute for Energy Innovation, established in 2022 following a $25 million gift from Shell. This work has transitioned to a coordinated, university-wide platform that aligns research, technical expertise, and external partnerships, including the Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) under a common strategic framework. The focus is on deployable, applied, use-inspired research that responds to real-world operational, regulatory, and market needs.
The Energy Innovation core area provides external partners with a structured and credible pathway to engage with innovative energy research at LSU. Through the Energy Innovation Fund, partners may support research in clearly defined priority areas while preserving academic independence, methodological rigor, and transparent review processes. Donor engagement is structured to inform problem selection rather than outcomes, ensuring research remains objective and trusted by all stakeholders.
The Energy Institute and FUEL create a continuum from research and technical validation to workforce development, commercialization, and deployment. Energy Innovation encourages collaboration across disciplines, colleges, and institutes to unlock campus-wide expertise and accelerate the development and deployment of new ideas and solutions.
In 2022, Shell made a $25 million gift to LSU to support research, innovation, and workforce development in energy. That commitment continues under the LSU Energy Institute. The Institute uses the Shell gift and other support from partners, including ExxonMobil and Entergy, to fund interdisciplinary research, education, and outreach by LSU faculty in line with LSU's energy-focused mission.
The Energy Institute offers education and outreach programs that support Louisiana's energy workforce and promote energy literacy. The Institute hosts an annual Energy Fundamentals course, maintains two student scholarships for energy-related education, and regularly participates in public speaking engagements. Through its energy education and outreach core area, the Institute develops educational programs, industry partnerships, and community engagement activities that connect academic expertise with workforce and community needs.
Yes. The Energy Education & Outreach core area focuses on improving energy literacy through programs that include K–12 partnerships and statewide engagement activities designed to support lifelong learning about energy topics.
The Energy Institute serves as Louisiana's official energy data repository, maintaining databases on oil and gas production, electricity, energy employment, and economic metrics. Under Act 727 of the 2024 Louisiana Legislative Session, the Institute collaborates with the Louisiana Department of Conservation & Energy to provide a centralized energy data and information program, including a suite of web applications that offer stakeholders timely access to key information. The Energy Information Center, located in the Energy, Coast & Environment Building on LSU's main campus, offers reference services and responds to data requests from government agencies, industry, academia, and the general public. Contact the Institute at 225-578-4400 or energy@lsu.edu for specialized energy data requests.
The Gulf Coast Energy Outlook is an annual report published by the Energy Institute that analyzes the Gulf Coast region's energy landscape and likely future trends. The report examines topics such as oil and gas production forecasts, energy transition activities, electricity demand, LNG exports, employment trends, and regional economic impacts. Released each December with a public webinar presentation, the Outlook serves as a reference for understanding how market conditions, policy frameworks, and regional developments influence the Gulf Coast's role in energy markets.
The Energy Information & Data core area provides consistent, transparent, and replicable energy data to support informed discussion and decision-making. This core area carries out statutory responsibilities established under Act 727 and supports the broader work of all other core areas by maintaining and sharing authoritative information.
The Energy Law core area integrates legal analysis into energy research and education through collaboration with the LSU Law School, including partnerships with the Mineral Law Institute and the John P. Laborde Energy Law Center. Legal frameworks intersect with many aspects of energy research, policy, innovation, and education—from permitting and property rights to environmental compliance and market design. This core area examines how law shapes energy development and outcomes in Louisiana and beyond and connects legal scholarship with the Institute's broader work.
Energy law provides the institutional and regulatory context for many of the Institute's focus areas, including energy policy, research and demonstration projects, data and information systems, and energy innovation. Legal considerations influence permitting, property rights, environmental compliance, infrastructure development, market design, and contractual relationships, making legal analysis essential to understanding how energy projects move from concept to implementation.
The Energy Institute works collaboratively with legal scholars and practitioners to enhance understanding of how law shapes energy outcomes. This interdisciplinary approach creates opportunities for legal analysis to inform and strengthen technical, economic, and policy research conducted across the university.
The Louisiana Geological Survey (LGS) is the state's official geological survey, as established under R.S. 17:1492. Located at Louisiana State University as a core component of the LSU Energy Institute, the LGS is charged with maintaining current surface and subsurface geological surveys of the entire state and working in cooperation with other state entities. Its mission is to collect, curate, analyze, and disseminate high-quality geological data for Louisiana.
Founded in 1934, the Louisiana Geological Survey serves Louisiana citizens by collecting, preserving, and disseminating geological information. LGS conducts surface geologic mapping through the federally funded STATEMAP program and has produced detailed maps at multiple scales. Its services include basin and energy research on oil, gas, and coal resources; geologic review to provide regulatory technical assistance to state agencies and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; groundwater and aquifer research; emergency response and hazard assessment; cartographic and GIS services; subsidence monitoring; carbon storage potential mapping; and educational outreach. LGS also maintains the Core Repository and Well Log Library with extensive logs and core samples available to researchers and industry.
Louisiana Geological Survey maps and data are available through multiple platforms. Many geologic maps can be downloaded in PDF format from the LGS website at www.lsu.edu/lgs under Publications. Georeferenced digital maps can be downloaded from the Avenza Map Store for smartphones and tablets. Physical copies can be obtained by contacting LGS at 225-578-5320 or lgs@lsu.edu. For specialized data requests or to arrange access to cores and well logs, contact the Louisiana Geological Survey at 3079 Energy, Coast and Environment Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, during regular hours Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
As a core component of the LSU Energy Institute, the LGS provides geoscientific information that supports many Institute activities, including energy policy analysis, research projects, and data services. While energy exploration has produced much of Louisiana's subsurface data, the LGS mission also includes broader public and scientific uses such as water resources, hazards assessment, land-use planning, coastal processes, and scientific research. By maintaining comprehensive and up-to-date geological surveys and collaborating with public agencies, researchers, and stakeholders, the Louisiana Geological Survey serves as a central, authoritative source of geological information for Louisiana.
The Future Use of Energy in Louisiana (FUEL) is an independent, statewide initiative supported by a 160-million-dollar National Science Foundation EPSCoR grant. While housed at LSU, FUEL serves the entire state and has its own governance. LSU faculty were part of the original NSF application and continue to collaborate with FUEL, and the two entities are distinct but complementary in supporting energy-related research and partnerships in Louisiana.
The Sustaining Member program allows energy companies and industry stakeholders to support the Energy Institute's endowment through annual contributions. This program has helped fund the Institute's energy research, education, and outreach initiatives. Sustaining members contribute to a balanced funding structure that supports the Institute's mission of providing independent, objective, and non-partisan analysis, and they may participate in advisory councils that offer input on energy-related issues and opportunities affecting Louisiana. The program includes multiple membership levels like Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Contributor so organizations of different sizes can support the Institute's work.
The LSU Energy Institute can be reached at:
- Phone: 225-578-6169
- Email: energy@lsu.edu
- Website: www.lsu.edu/energy
For data requests and the Energy Information Center services, contact the same numbers above.
For Louisiana Geological Survey services, contact 225-578-5320 or lgs@lsu.edu.
The Energy Institute and Energy Information Center are located in the Energy, Coast & Environment Building on LSU's main campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Louisiana Geological Survey is located at 3079 Energy, Coast and Environment Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803.
