eyes on e-ng

Houston-area energy companies team up for initiative to produce electric natural gas

Seven energy companies are partnering to produce electric natural gas, a synthetic natural gas produced by combining renewable hydrogen and recycled CO2. Photo via Getty Images

More than half-a-dozen energy companies — most with a significant presence in Houston — have signed up as founding members of a coalition focusing on the production of electric natural gas.

Founders of the e-NG Coalition are:

  • Engie, whose North American headquarters is in Houston
  • Mitsubishi, which operates a branch office in Houston
  • Osaka Gas, whose U.S. headquarters is in Houston
  • Sempra Infrastructure, which operates its Center of Excellence in Houston
  • TES (Tree Energy Solutions), whose U.S. headquarters is in Houston
  • Tokyo Gas, whose U.S. headquarters is in Houston
  • Toho Gas, a Japanese utility
  • TotalEnergies, whose U.S. headquarters is in Houston

Electric natural gas, also known as e-NG or e-natural gas, is a synthetic natural gas produced by combining renewable hydrogen and recycled CO2.

“The founding members of the coalition believe e-NG can provide a meaningful contribution to the energy transition by accelerating the development of renewable hydrogen,” the coalition says in a news release. “With large industrial capabilities and investment potential, the founding members are committed to the development of e-natural gas projects globally.”

TES spearheaded establishment of the e-NG Coalition.

“Collaboration is paramount to scaling up sustainable energy solutions and driving the energy transition forward. TES took the initiative to sponsor the creation of the e-NG Coalition and work together with leading industrial players to accelerate the development of e-NG,” says Marco Alverà, co-founder and CEO of TES.

Last September, Sempra Industries announced it had teamed up with four Japanese companies — Mitsubishi, Osaka Gas, Toho Gas, and Tokyo Gas — to explore building an e-natural gas project along the Gulf Coast.

The proposed project would generate 130,000 metric tons of e-natural gas per year. The gas would liquified at a terminal in Louisiana and then exported to Japan.

In a news release, the Japanese partners said they envisioned developing “the world’s first large-scale production and international supply chain of e-natural gas.”

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A View From HETI

Al Vickers, XGS Energy's new COO, and Richard Chong, the company's new CFO. Photos courtesy XGS/LinkedIn

XGS Energy, a Houston-based developer of geothermal power systems, has added several energy industry veterans to its C-suite this summer.

The company named Al Vickers as its new chief operating officer earlier this month. Vickers will replace Ghazal Izadi in the role, as she moves into the chief growth officer position.

Vickers previously served as CEO of bp's U.S. Low Carbon Energy business and most recently was COO of Houston-based Grid United, which develops next-generation transmission infrastructure.

“I have spent my career developing, building, and operating large, complex energy infrastructure, and I am excited to work with XGS’s proven technology, which is ready to deliver clean, round-the-clock power at the scale the grid and customers need,” Vickers said in a news release. “XGS sits at the intersection of innovation, affordability, demand growth, responsible infrastructure development, and long-term energy resilience. I’m excited to roll up my sleeves and apply best practices from both oil and gas and infrastructure development to deliver gigawatt-scale geothermal projects.”

Kurt Fricker, who most recently held leadership roles at Hess Corporation, was also announced as XGS's new chief procurement officer.

The hires come shortly after XGS announced Richard Chong as its new chief financial officer in May.

Chong joins XGS from Houston-based power producer Calpine, where he most recently was vice president of finance. His work there included leading $2.25 billion in financing for Geysers, the world’s largest geothermal power complex.

Chong says XGS’ proven technology and the rising demand for clean power will help the company execute on its multi-gigawatt pipeline.

“I look forward to applying the experience I’ve built over two decades in energy finance to help XGS deliver clean, reliable power to customers and unlock the massive development opportunity ahead for next-generation geothermal,” Chong said in the release.

XGS’ first project is a 150-megawatt geothermal facility in New Mexico. It will supply around-the-clock electricity to the grid operated by Public Service Co. of New Mexico in support of Meta data centers.

XGS recently tapped Houston-based energy technology company Baker Hughes to provide engineering services for the New Mexico project.

XGS’ geothermal system uses thermally conductive materials to deliver affordable energy anywhere hot rock exists — without the need for water resources or specific geological conditions. This results in lower-risk projects, more site options, easier permitting and faster deployment.

Since 2023, XGS has raised nearly $57 million in venture capital.

XGS launched in 2008 in Palo Alto, California, as Geothermic Solution. In conjunction with its Series A round in 2023, the company rebranded to its current name. The company recently moved its headquarters to Houston, according to the Houston Business Journal.

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