C O U RTE S Y P O RT F O U R C H O N
L A U N C H: I N T E L LI G E N C E
P ort F o ur c h o n
W h at’ s t h e W at e r I n stit ut e of t h e G ulf d oi n g i n L af o u r c h e a n d L a k e C h a rl e s ? By S A M B A R N E S
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als o rec o m me n d c ost f or m ai nt ai np ote nti al i n g it, as well as e nvir o n me nt al t he b est pr oce d ure a p plic ati o ns f or m ai nt ai ni n g it.” f or t he dre d ge d C hi ass o n s a ys m ateri al. To t he dee p er draft f acilit ate t he c o ul d ulti m atel y pr ocess, t he attract b usi nesses i nstit ute e ntere d i n t he o ff s h ore i nt o a fi n a nci al ri g re p air a n d p art ners hi p wit h ref ur bis hi n g S hell, C he vr o n m ar ket. He estia n d Da n os — m ates t h at a b o ut e ac h h avi n g a $ 1 0 0 milli o n i n veste d i nterest p ote nti al ser vice i n pr otecti n g w or k le aves t he t he p ort’s U. S. a n n u all y d ue R e s e ar c h i n L a k e C h arl e s i nfrastr uct ure. t o i n a de q u ate serC hett C hi ass o n, e xec utive direct or vice c a p acit y. e c a n al dee p e ni n g of t he Gre ater L af o urc he P ort C o mc o ul d als o s u p p ort t he pl a n ne d missi o n, s a ys t he rese arc h will b e a n $ 8 0 0 milli o n F o urc h o n L N G L L C i m p ort a nt p art of a fe asi bilit y st u d y pr o d ucti o n a n d e x p ort f acilit y at t he t o b e s u b mitte d t o t he U. S. Ar m y p ort. “ eir i niti al de vel o p me nt ( at C or ps of E n gi neers t his s u m mer. 2 milli o n t o ns p er ye ar) is g o o d wit h “ is is a bi g de al f or us,” C hi ass o n t he a m o u nt of de pt h we c urre ntl y s a ys. “ e Water I nstit ute h as t he h ave, b ut if we c a n get a dee p er draft tec h n ol o g y t o m o del s h o ali n g rates, it w o ul d all o w t he m t o e x p a n d,” he w hic h will hel p us deter mi ne t he n otes.
1 0/ 1 2 I N D U S T R Y R E P O R T • S E C O N D Q U A R T E R 2 0 1 8
C O U R T E S Y T H E W A T E R I N S TI T U T E O F T H E G U L F
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nc h ore d b y a ne w b uil di n g a n d a rene we d se nse of p urp ose, B at o n R o u ge’s Water I nstit ute of t he G ulf is t ur ni n g its g a z e t o s o me rat her e n d uri n g iss ues pl a g ui n g t w o L o uisi a n a p orts i n h o p es t h at it c a n use scie nti fi c rese arc h a n d m o deli n g t o ge nerate s ol uti o ns. Presi de nt a n d C E O J usti n E hre n wert h s a ys c urre nt rese arc h f alls i n li ne wit h t he i nstit ute’s desire t o s u p p ort t he “ w or ki n g c o ast” b y t a ki n g a h olistic l o o k at h o w n at ure c a n be utili z e d t o e n h a nce b ot h critic al i nfrastr uct ure a n d t he e nvir o n me nt. S u p p orti n g i n t h at e ff ort is t he ne west a d diti o n t o t he 3 5- acre n ot-f or- pr o fit i nstit ute, t he vis u all y disti nctive Ce nter f or C o ast al & Delt aic S ol uti o ns al o n g t he b a n ks of t he Mississi p pi River. At P ort F o urc h o n, rese arc hers are c urre ntl y w or ki n g a t w opr o n ge d i niti ative t o deter mi ne t he c ost- w ort hi ness of dre d gi n g t he p ort’s c a n al t o 5 0 feet a n d t o
A b o ut 2 0 milli o n c u bic yar ds of m ateri al w o ul d be dre d ge d d uri n g t he pr oject, of w hic h 1 0- 1 2 milli o n c u bic yar ds w o ul d be nee de d t o e x p a n d t he p ort a n d miti g ate wetl a n ds. e re m ai ni n g 8- 1 0 milli o n yar ds of m ateri al c o ul d be utili z e d f or e nvir o n me nt al p ur p oses. Wit h t he assist a nce of p art ners C he vr o n, S hell a n d Da n os, a sec o n d Water I nstit ute-le d rese arc h pr oject is de visi n g w a ys t o use t he m ateri al t o pr otect t he p ort’s critic al i nfrastr uct ure, cre ate ne w wetl a n ds a n d ec os yste ms, a n d pr ovi de a pr otective n at ure- b ase d defe nse. “ All of a s u d de n y o u h ave t he e ner g y sect or, e nvir o n me nt al a dv oc ates a n d c o m m u nit y le a ders all st a n di n g o n t he s a me si de,” E hre nwert h s a ys. “I t hi n k t h at’s o ne of t he t hi n gs t h at’s e xciti n g a b o ut w h at we’re d oi n g i n s o ut h L o uisi a n a. A l ot of pe o ple are t al ki n g a b o ut gree n i nfrastr uct ure. We act u all y h ave t he o p p ort u nit y t o d o it at a sc ale t h at’s n ot h a p pe ni n g a n y w here else.” D uri n g t he d at a acc u m ul ati o n 1 0 1 2i n d u str yr e p ort. c o m