BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD) — A new clean energy megaproject will be bringing more jobs to Ascension Parish. Governor John Bel Edwards is calling this “the largest permanent carbon dioxide sequestration endeavor to date.”

State leaders and Air Products have been working on this for four years. The project is promising to bring about 600 jobs and nearly 2,000 construction jobs to the area in the next three years.

“What we are announcing today is not an intention of what we want to do, it is not a memorandum of understanding, it is a final investment decision,” said Air Products President Seife Ghasemi.

The project is a 4.5 billion dollar investment towards cleaner energy and high-paying jobs. 

“There is no state in the nation more affected by climate change than Louisiana,” said Gov. Edwards.

By partnering with Air Products, Gov. Edwards is making good on his promise to tackle climate change, a move that will make the state a leader in the nation’s clean energy transition.  

“Carbon dioxide generated in the manufacturing process will be captured, removed, and permanently sequestered instead of being released into the atmosphere,” said Gov. Edwards.

The Blue Hydrogen Clean Energy Complex will be built and operated by Air Products in Ascension Parish.

“This clean energy complex will produce 750 million cubic feet a day of clean hydrogen to put it in perspective, that’s enough energy to drive three million cars,” said Ghasemi.  

Gov. Edwards has a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40-50% by 2030 and net zero by 2050. He believes the state is well-positioned to take on this task.

Gov. Edwards said there is no concern of environmental risks with this project and added that it will be regulated by the EPA.