Chevron has generously donated $10,000 in support of the Center's annual fall conference, Energy Summit™. Sponsorships such as these support conference planning, promotion and operations, including catering and parking, which are not entirely covered by attendance fees.

The Center expresses its sincerest gratitude for the ongoing support by Chevron.

For conference sponsorship information, contact [email protected].

The Center for Energy Studies' 2015 Annual Report is now available online. The document serves as a record of the Center's and its affiliates' activities for the past year and includes summaries of research, outreach efforts, and awards.

On March 15, the Center, along with BP and the Grow Louisiana Coalition, presented "Energy Outlook: The Global Energy Industry and Its Impact," with Mark Finley, Chief U.S. Economist with BP.

Finley discussed predicted future energy demand through 2035. Key points included:

• World GDP will more than double, but unprecedented gains in energy efficiency mean that the energy required to fuel the higher level of activity will grow by only about one-third over the outlook period;
• Fossil fuels will remain the dominant form of energy powering the global expansion, providing around 60% of the additional energy and accounting for almost 80% of total energy supplies in 2035;
• Gas is the fastest growing fossil fuel supported by strong supply growth, particularly of U.S. shale gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), and by environmental policies;
• And the oil market will gradually rebalance, with the current low level of prices boosting demand and dampening supply.

To view or download a copy of BP's Energy Outlook, click here.

The Center hosted a Women's Energy Network student networking reception on the evening of April 6. The gathering allowed undergraduate and graduate students, male and female, to gain helpful insight and ask questions regarding potential careers in energy. CES Assistant Professor Mallory Vachon coordinated the event.

On March 16, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources and the Center hosted a delegation from the French Consulate General's office in New Orleans to discuss unconventional oil and gas resources and hydraulic fracturing. DNR's Communications Director Patrick Courreges and Mineral Resources Petroleum Lands Director Emile Fontenot, with CES Executive Director David Dismukes, answered questions regarding policy, technology and economics related to the state's unconventional oil and gas industry.

Pictured above are (seated, l-r) Eric Szij, head of staff, French Parliamentary Office for Scientific & Technological Assessment, Congressman Christian Bataille, (standing, l-r) Luc Boyer, Counselor for Energy, French Trade Council, Gregor Trumel, French Consul General, Brent Campbell, DNR director for the Engineering Regulatory Division, Emile Fontenot and Patrick Courreges.

Assistant Professor Greg Upton presented at the Louisiana Alternative Fuels Conference & Expo held in Lafayette on April 14. His presentation, " Alternative Fuel Vehicles and Utility Rate Design: The Devil's in the Details," describes different utility rate design structures and potential implications for customers. Upton also provides various examples of how the economics of alternative fuel vehicles can be significantly impacted by the rate structures including fixed and variable charges, time of use charges, and block rates.
 
The focus of this year's conference was to inform public and private fleet managers, safety officials, alternative fuel stakeholders, and government agency officials about the implications of fuel price fluctuations, stabilizing fuel costs in the future, and advances in alternative fuel technologies.

Center for Energy Studies Assistant Professor Mallory Vachon has been granted a W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research 2016 Early Career Research Award for her project, "The Temporary Migration Response to Industry-Specific Shocks: Evidence from the U.S. Shale Boom." The award provides resources for junior faculty to pursue research related to labor markets and public workforce policy. Vachon's research interests include energy, labor, and public economics, with a focus on the local economic impacts of natural resource extraction.

Vachon, who joined the Center for Energy Studies faculty in the fall of 2015, received her Ph.D., M.A., and B.A. in economics at Syracuse University. She is a member of the American Economic Association, the International Association for Energy Economics, the Southern Economic Association, and the Society of Labor Economists.

On Tuesday, April 19, Assistant Professors Mallory Vachon and Greg Upton (pictured at right) accompanied visiting scholar Roman Opimakh on a tour of the International Petroleum Museum & Exposition in Morgan City.

The tour of the offshore drilling rig Mr. Charlie included artifacts and information about the operations of an offshore oil rig. The first transportable submersible drilling rig, Mr. Charlie was built in 1952-53. In 1954, it began operations for Shell Oil and continued to drill in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Morgan City for 32 years.

Visiting Scholar Roman Opimakh

Visiting Scholar Opimakh spent six weeks at the Center before returning to his native Ukraine, where he serves as Coordinator of the Oil and Gas sector of the Presidential Economic Reforms Center and the advisor to the Minister of Energy.

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