report card

Houston O&G services company lays out 2022 wins in new report

Houston-based oil and gas engineering and construction services provider McDermott outlines company's progress toward sustainability with new report. Image via mcdermott-investors.com

People. Planet. Progress. These are the first three words on the homepage for the a new report on sustainability from a Houston company.

Published this month, the 2022 Sustainability Report from McDermott — a global leader in engineering, procurement, and construction solutions for the energy industry — showcases the organization's dedication to developing sustainable solutions and innovative technologies.

"As our customers set ESG targets and work to meet and exceed their stakeholder expectations, they increasingly rely on McDermott for innovative methods and low-carbon solutions leveraging our more than 100 years of complex project experience," says Michael McKelvy, McDermott's president and CEO, in the news release. "With our customers, we are advancing global decarbonization through low-emissions options across our engineering, procurement and construction operations."

In the third annual report of its kind, McDermott highlights key climate and sustainability accomplishments achieved in 2022 in each of the three aforementioned focus areas.

People

  • Joining the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Initiative to further ingrain McDermott with academic institutions collaborating to achieve net-zero targets
  • Launch of the RISE Female Development Program as part of the commitment to diversity and inclusion, and specifically, gender equality, across the organization

Planet

  • Voluntary, inaugural submission of ESG metrics to the Carbon Disclosure Project platform
  • Introduction of a new Carbon Footprint Dashboard that established a baseline against which 2023 KPIs and targets will be assessed to measure project-related emissions
  • 62 percent increase in project water reuse compared to 2020
  • Elimination of the need for plastic water bottles on all maritime fleet vessels with the introduction of onboard filtration systems

Progress

  • Awarding of Borwin6, the largest renewables energy project for McDermott to-date
  • Application of modular solution delivery practiced for over 50 years to construct and deliver Green and Blue hydrogen facilities
  • Scaling up technology for liquefied hydrogen spheres and development of fully integrated renewable and low-carbon hydrogen demonstration and framework in Texas
  • Completion of Phase 1 rollout of a vehicle utilization AI platform that measures emissions and provides fleet management teams with actionable insights

"McDermott is committed to sustainable, positive improvement in the communities where we operate, for our customers, and for our employees and the world," states Rachel Clingman, McDermott's executive vice president, sustainability, and governance in the announcement. "We matured our strategy and focus in 2022. We are aligned and working hand-in-hand with customers and stakeholders on specific plans and goals."

The 74-page report offers additional details on these initiatives, as well as commentary on the task force on climate-related financial disclosures compliance and environmental performance data for the year ended on December 31, 2022.

McDermott outlined its sustainability wins from 2022. Image via mcdermott-investors.com

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A View From HETI

The geothermal projects are among 21 selected to receive a total of $99 million in DOE funding. Photo courtesy Fervo Energy

Three Houston-based companies—Fervo Energy, Quaise Energy and XGS Energy—have been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to advance geothermal technologies and field tests.

Combined, the companies will receive more than $45 million in funding from the DOE's Next-Generation Geothermal Field Tests and Geothermal Resource Characterization and Confirmation initiative. The projects were among 21 selected from around the country to receive a total of $99 million.

Fervo was selected to conduct two projects under the initiative for approximately $20 million in funding. For the first project, the geothermal unicorn, which achieved first power at its flagship geothermal plant last week, will drill and complete enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) wells in Elmore County, Idaho, and will deploy high-temperature seismic monitoring technology at record-high temperatures at or above 200°C.

For the second project, the company will conduct an appraisal drilling campaign at a "high-priority" site in Humboldt County, Nevada, to confirm if the reservoir is suitable for EGS development.

“We are grateful to the Department of Energy for funding these grants. We believe this is a clear indication from the federal government that expanding geothermal energy to new states is a national priority,” Jack Norbeck, CTO and co-founder of Fervo Energy, said in a news release. “We expect this funding to accelerate Fervo’s pipeline and advance the cutting edge of geothermal technologies.”

Fresh off a $180 million Series B, Quaise Energy also received $25 million in DOE funding through the initiative to support its Project Obsidian super hot geothermal plant in Central Oregon. The funding will go toward the analysis of the drilling, stimulation and flow results of the first two wells at the Project Obsidian site, which will help the company optimize its third well on site.

“This DOE support is a recognition of what we are building at Quaise and the progress we are making in the field, including the confirmation well currently being drilled at Project Obsidian,” Carlos Araque, CEO and president of Quaise, said in a release. “Our ambition has always been to make superhot geothermal a commercial reality, and Project Obsidian is where we first deliver on that promise.”

XGS Energy, which recently relocated its headquarters from Palo Alto, California, to Houston, was also selected for an exploration drilling project. The company will drill a deep vertical appraisal well in Socorro County, New Mexico, to determine if the site is a viable source of geothermal energy. XGS had not disclosed a funding estimate at press time.

The full value of the proposed DOE funding is subject to completion of award negotiations, according to Quaise.

Data from these projects will be shared through DOE’s Geothermal Data Repository (GDR), providing valuable information to researchers and stakeholders in the geothermal sector.

“This is an excellent example of how public and private entities can partner together to scale critical energy technologies,” Tim Latimer, CEO and co-founder of Fervo, added in a release. “With this funding, the Department of Energy is making important investments to help Americans across the country gain access to clean, affordable geothermal energy.”

Other geothermal companies and institutions from around the country will complete the 17 remaining projects. They include:

  • Denver-based 400C Energy Inc.
  • Salt Lake City-based AlterG Resources
  • Denver-based DAVINCI EP LLC
  • Anchorage-based GeoAlaska LLC
  • Oklahoma City-based GreenFire Energy Inc.
  • Virginia-based Hexagon Energy LLC
  • Virginia-based INTEK Inc.
  • Chicago-based Invenergy Geothermal Development LLC
  • Massachusetts-based LiPower Geothermal LLC
  • Fort Worth-based Oriah Geothermal LLC
  • Reno-based Raser Power Systems LLC
  • Santa Fe-based San Ildefonso Services LLC
  • Salt Lake City-based The University of Utah
  • Reno-based TLS Geothermics Corp.
  • Salt Lake City-based Zanskar Geothermal and Minerals

Read more about the full list of projects here.

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