LNG Center of Excellence planned for Lake Charles

(iStock) Calcasieu Parish

The Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration is awarding a $2.8 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to McNeese State University Foundation to build a Center of Excellence to serve as a hub of resiliency for the liquified natural gas industry.

The intent of the center is to better enable the region to respond to future economic disruptions, including pandemics and natural disasters.

This EDA grant is expected to create 112 jobs and generate $6.3 billion in private investment. It will also be matched with $687,500 in local funds.

The projects are funded under the CARES Act, which passed in March 2020 and provided EDA with $1.5 billion for economic assistance programs to help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.