WATCH: Gov. Edwards announces multi-billion dollar investment in Ascension Parish

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) -- On Oct. 14, Governor John Bel Edwards made an announcement about major economic development in the Baton Rouge area.

According to Gov. Edwards, more jobs are coming to Ascension Parish.

Those jobs will be available through a new $4.5 Billion Blue Hydrogen Clean Energy Complex. Air Products is bringing 170 permanent, high-paying jobs. Along with those jobs, 2,000 construction jobs are expected to be available over the next three years.

Air Products Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer Seifi Ghasemi joined Gov. Edwards at the news conference.

Air Products considers itself to be "a world-leading industrial gas company that produces and transports hydrogen and other essential industrial gases to many customer facilities in Louisiana, across the U.S. Gulf Coast and around the world."

The goal is to have the Blue Hydrogen Clean Energy Complex up and running in 2026.

“This is a major industrial investment that will create quality manufacturing jobs while limiting environmental impacts, a goal envisioned by my Climate Initiatives Task Force,” Gov. Edwards said. “Carbon capture and sequestration are important to Louisiana’s efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while maintaining jobs and growing our manufacturing base. This project is a clear demonstration of our ability to grow the Louisiana economy while lowering the carbon footprint of industry."

If you would like to learn more about the new $4.5 Billion Blue Hydrogen Clean Energy Complex, visit Air Products.