The Water Institute of the Gulf is partnering with the Port of Lake Charles to help make the Calcasieu Ship Channel more sustainable, as experts forecast the region’s booming liquefied natural gas industry will help double ship traffic in the coming years.
The mounting challenges with dredging—including cost and a lack of places to put dredged material—are threatening to “strangle” the energy corridor, Bill Pase, Port of Lake Charles executive director, says. The region is host to a rapidly-growing LNG industry and a longstanding petrochemical industry.
“With close to $120 billion in projects coming to our area, it is absolutely critical that we ensure the long-term viability of the Calcasieu Ship Channel,” Rase says in a statement.
The Water Institute will help identify sediment sources in the channel and find the best way to use dredged material to protect the port’s critical infrastructure. The Water Institute is a nonprofit research organization based in Baton Rouge.
