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There is a looming fear in the South (especially in Louisiana) that something negative could happen to the U.S. oil industry.  It's really no secret why, either.  So much of our economy depends upon both the direct and indirect jobs the petroleum companies bring, and that means a lot of people across the state's livelihood is all riding on the flow of black gold.

That fear became a reality this month after 700 direct and hundreds more indirect jobs disappeared with this month's shutdown of the Dutch Royal Shell refinery in Convent.  It's devastating to the folks who have to find work, but the economic fallout from folks shopping less and/or moving out of town is the kind of damage that can keep on giving.

Luckily, a very large energy project could be on the way to Louisiana with more than enough jobs to fill that gap - and them some.  According to KNOE,  Grön Fuels LLC is studying the feasibility of building their new $9.2 Billion dollar renewable fuels plant in Baton Rouge.  This monster green-fuel manufacturer would bring with it more than a 1000 jobs with an average yearly salary of $98,595 plus benefits.

I know that's not the same area, and refining petroleum and extracting hydrogen from water by large scale hydrolysis aren't the same process by a long shot - but with a little retraining, this could be a godsend for lots of misplaced and out of work energy sector employees.  Once again, it's not just about these jobs either.  If the project comes through (and, by the looks of the official announcement from Gov. John Bel Edwards and Grön co-founders Daniel J. Shapiro and Bengt Jarlsjo, it's got a pretty good shot), Louisiana Economic Development says the total of new direct and indirect jobs brought to the state will be more than 5,000.

Grön's plan, once in the Bayou State, would reportedly be to set up a more robust hydrogen fuel delivery infrastructure throughout Louisiana.  The complex would reportedly also make and sell up to 60,000 barrels per day of low-carbon renewable diesel, with an option to produce renewable jet fuel made from plants like soybean and corn oil.

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