For the second year, Lake Charles was chosen as the site for the 19th annual Americas LNG & Gas Summit and Exhibition. Never before has the summit, the longest-running international LNG, Gas & Hydrogen Event in the Americas, been held in the same location for two consecutive years, according to Kyle Edminston, president and CEO of Visit Lake Charles.

It is a huge feather in the region’s cap, according to Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter, and will put Southwest Louisiana — LNG export global leader — in the spotlight at a critical time in the world’s history, the energy transition and reducing Europe’s energy dependence on Russia.

“Southwest Louisiana and its LNG industry is positively impacting the global environment, the national economy and the political security and stability of our allies around the world,” said Jason French, executive director of LNG Center of Excellence at McNeese. “It makes sense that prominent LNG conferences and stakeholders come here to engage with this community.”

Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter said the community was ready for the convention last  year and is  “excited to welcome the summit and its participants back this year to see the progress the city has made.”

The convention will be held at the Golden Nugget Nov. 1-3, but off-site events are part of the program, and the mayor said participants were able to experience the culture and character of Lake Charles last year, as they dined at local restaurants and visited retailers in the downtown area.

“More of those types of businesses will be open this year,” Hunter said.     The summit brings together senior energy executives, technology and process experts, and LNG buyers from at least ten different countries. State officials Senator Bill Cassidy and Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser will be speaking.

“One of the hot topics will clearly be the political uncertainty and energy crisis facing Europe,” French said. “Another popular topic will be the industry’s efforts to further decarbonize and to maximize the positive environmental impacts on global warming.”

Kyle Edminston, president and CEO of Visit Lake Charles, put the dollar impact of the summit on the local economy at around $800,000.

However, it is not only the infusion of dollars that marks the event as significant.

“This is certainly not the largest conference or expo held here in terms of attendance or economic impact, but in terms of elevating the city around the world, no other conference has demonstrated such an impact at this international level,” Edministon said.

In the past, some of the locations for the Americas LNG & Gas Summit and Exhibition were nearby areas such as Houston and New Orleans.

But it is Southwest Louisiana that leads the world in LNG exports from three Cameron Parish plants, Venture Global Calcasieu Pass, Cheniere Sabine Pass and Cameron LNG.

“I think what is most significant about this event from an economic standpoint is that it brings together three of the area’s largest economic engines, gaming, tourism and LNG industries, ‘’ said Dan Groft, assistant professor of economics at McNeese.

He outlined the impact of LNG on the local and global economy.

LNG is important to Southwest Louisiana because it offers high-paying jobs with annual salaries of $80,000 to $100,000. Oil and gas industries support one in every nine jobs in the state. Tax revenues, currently at $40 million in property taxes in Cameron parish, will go even higher when the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) benefits expire.

The LNG industry has been generous in its financial contributions.

Mayor Nic Hunter noted that thanks to LNG companies, area parks were upgraded “with zero additional burden to the taxpayer,” he said.

He added that it is because of corporate sponsors that the city is able to fully fund the Port Wonder Science and Nature Center.

On a global scale, LNG from the U.S. to Europe has increased from just over 20 percent of Europe’s needs to almost 50 percent in six months, ending in March. Cargoes from one SWLA LNG exporter doubled in one year.

“Cheniere Sabine Pass, Cameron LNG and Venture Global Calcasieu Pass have invested a total of $34.5 billion dollars in those facilities,” said French. “That cost is the same as the cost to build the Superdome 37 times.”

Billions of dollars more could be spent on expansion projects and new facilities.