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Houston law firm expands energy practice to Paris

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The new office will expand Bracewell's capabilities in France and the broader Europe, the Middle East and Africa region. Photo via Bracewell

It's not just United States athletes descending upon France this summer. A Houston-based law firm has announced the expansion of its energy team into the region.

Bracewell LLP has opened an office in Paris La Défense and named 11 energy and infrastructure lawyers from Norton Rose Fulbright to the new location, which will be focused on project development, M&A, and finance transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors. The team will have an emphasis on renewable and conventional power, energy transition, oil and gas, and infrastructure in France — as well as Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, per a news release from the firm.

“We are thrilled to welcome our new colleagues to the firm and to open an office in Paris,” Bracewell Managing Partner Gregory M. Bopp says in the release. “The addition of this energy and infrastructure team, one of the largest and most highly regarded in Paris, builds on the strengths of our preeminent global energy platform and broadens our capabilities in France, Africa, and the broader EMEA region.”

Anne Lapierre, Arnaud Bélisaire and Simon Cudennec joined Bracewell as partners in Paris. Eight associates and counsel complete the team: Véronique Bruel, Marie Zelazko, Adnen Ben Naser, Sandra Hahn Duraffourg, Pierrick Ferrero, Diane Dusserre, Noémie Portut-Castel, and Carl Kalaani.

“The French team is a pure energy and infrastructure team, which mirrors who we are and what has been successful in London,” Jason Fox, managing partner of Bracewell’s London office, says in the release. “Where the London office has a strong focus on the oil and gas sector, the French team is more focused on renewables. That, combined with the addition of French law and OHADA capabilities, complements our platform and strengthens our renewables offering, notably in Francophone Africa.”

Lapierre previously served as head of Norton Rose Fulbright’s global energy practice, and Bélisaire co-led that firm's energy practice in Paris. Cudennec, also from Norton Rose Fulbright, specializes in projects within the energy, infrastructure and natural resources sectors in France and French-speaking Africa.

“Bracewell’s focus on sector excellence has made it one of the leading energy law firms in the world,” adds Lapierre. “Arnaud, Simon and I are thrilled to join an outstanding and dedicated global team that has broad capabilities and a sterling reputation across the entire energy spectrum.”

Houston energy transition folks — here's what to know to start your week. Photo via Getty Images

Houston energy transition events not to miss, expert commentary on climate crisis, and more things to know

take note

Editor's note: Start your week off strong with three quick things to catch up on in Houston's energy transition: a roundup of events not to miss, a new Houston energy executive to know, and more.

Events not to miss

Put these Houston-area energy-related events on your calendar.

    • Future of Energy Summit is Tuesday, February 6, at AC Hotel by Marriott Houston Downtown. Register.
    • The 2024 NAPE Summit is Wednesday, February 7, to Friday, February 9, at the George R. Brown Convention Center. It's the energy industry’s marketplace for the buying, selling and trading of prospects and producing properties. Register.
    • The De Lange Conference, taking place February 9 and 10 at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy, is centered around the theme “Brave New Worlds: Who Decides? Research, Risk and Responsibility” this year. Register.
    • The Future of Energy Across the Americas: Helping Lawyers Predict and Adapt — the 2024 Houston Energy Conference — is February 27 to March 1. Register.
    • CERAWeek 2024 is Monday, March 18, to Friday, March 22, in the George R. Brown Convention Center. Register.

    ​Commentary: Chris Wood, co-founder of Moonshot Compost, on loving the climate apocalypse​

    Chris Wood knows that the last thing anyone wants to be reminded of in 2024 is the impending climate apocalypse, but, as he writes in his guest column, "There is a scientific consensus that the world climate is trending towards uninhabitable for many species, including humans, due in large part to results of human activity."

    He cites a report that 93 percent “believe that climate change poses a serious and imminent threat to the planet.”

    "Until recently reviewing this report, I was unaware that 93 percent of any of us could agree on anything," he writes. "It got me thinking, how much of our problem today is based on misunderstanding both the nature of the problem and the solution?" Read more.

    New hire: Bracewell names new partner to advise clients on energy transition tax incentives

    Bracewell announced that Jennifer Speck has joined the firm's tax department as a partner in the Houston office. Speck will advise clients on energy transition tax incentives.

    Some of her experiences include onshore and offshore wind, solar, carbon capture, clean hydrogen and clean fuel projects. She recently served as senior manager of tax and regulatory compliance at Navigator CO2 Ventures LLC. She graduated in 2010 with a B.F.A. in mental health psychology from Northeastern State University, and received her J.D., with honors, from The University of Tulsa College of Law in 2012. Read more.

    Bracewell announced that Jennifer Speck has joined the firm's tax department as a partner in the Houston office. Photo via LinkedIn

    Energy-focused law firm names new Houston partner

    new hire

    A law and government relations firm serving energy, infrastructure, finance, and technology industries has named a new Houston partner.

    Bracewell announced that Jennifer Speck has joined the firm's tax department as a partner in the Houston office. Speck will advise clients on energy transition tax incentives.

    Some of her experiences include onshore and offshore wind, solar, carbon capture, clean hydrogen and clean fuel projects. She recently served as senior manager of tax and regulatory compliance at Navigator CO2 Ventures LLC. She graduated in 2010 with a B.F.A. in mental health psychology from Northeastern State University, and received her J.D., with honors, from The University of Tulsa College of Law in 2012.

    "Jenny has significant experience in critical tax credits for carbon capture and other energy transition projects," Elizabeth L. McGinley, chair of Bracewell's tax department, says in a news release. "Her knowledge of these, and other, tax incentives strengthens our ability to help clients take full advantage of the tax benefits available under the Inflation Reduction Act."

    Nationally recognized, Bracewell's tax department is known for its experience involving tax matters related to the energy industry. Bracewell has also led the development of one of the country's largest multidisciplinary energy transition legal teams.

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    Houston companies partner to advance industrial carbon capture tech

    green team

    Carbon Clean and Samsung E&A, both of which maintain their U.S. headquarters in Houston, have formed a partnership to accelerate the global use of industrial carbon capture systems.

    Carbon Clean provides industrial carbon capture technology. Samsung E&A offers engineering, construction and procurement services. The companies say their partnership will speed up industrial decarbonization and make carbon capture more accessible for sectors that face challenges in decarbonizing their operations.

    Carbon Clean says its fully modular columnless carbon capture unit, known as CycloneCC, is up to 50 percent smaller than traditional units and each "train" can capture up to 100,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

    “Our partnership with Samsung E&A marks a major milestone in scaling industrial carbon capture,” Aniruddha Sharma, chair and CEO of Carbon Clean, said in a news release.

    Hong Namkoong, CEO of Samsung E&A, added that the partnership with Carbon Clean will accelerate the global rollout of carbon capture systems that “are efficient, reliable, and ready for the energy transition.”

    Carbon Clean and Samsung E&A had previously worked together on carbon capture projects for Aramco, an oil and gas giant, and Modec, a supplier of floating production systems for offshore oil and gas facilities. Aramco’s Americas headquarters is also in Houston, as is Modec’s U.S. headquarters.

    Major Houston energy companies join new Carbon Measures coalition

    green team

    Six companies with a large presence in the Houston area have joined a new coalition of companies pursuing a better way to track the carbon emissions of products they manufacture, purchase and finance.

    Houston-area members of the Carbon Measures coalition are:

    • Spring-based ExxonMobil
    • Air Liquide, whose U.S. headquarters is in Houston
    • Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, whose U.S. headquarters is in Houston
    • Honeywell, whose Performance Materials and Technologies business is based in Houston.
    • BASF, whose global oilfield solutions business is based in Houston
    • Linde, whose Linde Engineering Americas business is based in Houston

    Carbon Measures will create an accounting framework that eliminates double-counting of carbon pollution and attributes emissions to their sources, said Amy Brachio, the group’s CEO. The model is expected to take two years to develop, and between five and seven years to scale up, Bloomberg reported.

    The coalition wants to create a system that will “unleash markets and competition,” unlock investments and speed up the pace of emissions reduction, said Brachio, former vice chair of sustainability at professional services firm EY.

    “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it,” said Darren Woods, chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil. “The first step to reducing global emissions is to know where they’re coming from — and today, we don’t have an accurate system to do this.”

    Other members of the coalition include BlackRock-owned Global Infrastructure Partners, Banco Satanader, EY and NextEra Energy.

    “Transparent and consistent emissions accounting is not just a technical necessity — it’s a strategic imperative. It enables smarter decisions and accelerates real progress across industries and borders,” said Ken West, president and CEO of Honeywell Energy and Sustainability Solutions.

    Wind and solar supplied over a third of ERCOT power, report shows

    power report

    Since 2023, wind and solar power have been the fastest-growing sources of electricity for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and increasingly are meeting stepped-up demand, according to a new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

    The report says utility-scale solar generated 50 percent more electricity for ERCOT in the first nine months this year compared with the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, electricity generated by wind power rose 4 percent in the first nine months of this year versus the same period in 2024.

    Together, wind and solar supplied 36 percent of ERCOT’s electricity in the first nine months of 2025.

    Heavier reliance on wind and solar power comes amid greater demand for ERCOT electricity. In the first nine months of 2025, ERCOT recorded the fastest growth in electricity demand (5 percent) among U.S. power grids compared with the same period last year, according to the report.

    “ERCOT’s electricity demand is forecast to grow faster than that of any other grid operator in the United States through at least 2026,” the report says.

    EIA forecasts demand for ERCOT electricity will climb 14 percent in the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period this year. This anticipated jump coincides with a number of large data centers and cryptocurrency mining facilities coming online next year.

    The ERCOT grid covers about 90 percent of Texas’ electrical load.

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