LSU announced Wednesday the completion of a “sweeping modernization” to campus central utilities, representing most of a pledged $225 million in utility upgrades that will deliver more reliable and sustainable power to the university’s facilities.
The university has expanded and improved two utility plants connected to campus, the Powerhouse on Powerhouse Lane near Tiger Stadium and Highland Utility Center. LSU said that campus heating and cooling will also become more reliable as a result of the upgrades.
The upgrades will also make for less water and energy consumed.
“This transformation isn’t just about infrastructure, it’s about LSU’s long-term vision,” LSU Associate Vice President for Planning, Design and Construction Anzi Gilmore said. “We’ve partnered with CenTrio to build a smarter, more resilient energy system that will support innovation and growth for decades to come.”
The upgrades were done as the first stage of a 30-year partnership between LSU and CenTrio Energy that was approved in 2021, when CenTrio was known was Enwave Energy USA, to make the company the concessionaire and operator of LSU’s energy system.
That deal was reportedly worth over $800 million, and this initial modernization process represented $125 million of that, LSU said, with another $100 million planned to go toward more campus utility upgrades in the future.
“We’re proud to partner with LSU on a project that demonstrates what’s possible when long-term infrastructure planning meets innovative delivery,” CenTrio Vice President and General Manager Richard McCall said. “This modernization reflects our shared commitment to reliability, sustainability, and building systems that support both institutional growth and community impact.”
Power outages haven’t been an uncommon occurrence on LSU’s campus, with an outage in February that halted classes and lasted about an hour. There were three different outages during the 2023-24 school year.
CenTrio has similar long-term deals in place with Syracuse University and Eastern Michigan University. The company also operates the energy system for LSU Health New Orleans.
