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Movers and shakers: Top executive moves in Houston energy transition of 2023

year in review

Promotions, corporate ladder climbing, and other top mover and shaker stories on EnergyCapital this year. Photos courtesy

Editor's note: As the year comes to a close, EnergyCapital is looking back at the year's top stories in Houston energy transition. From new board seats to internal promotions, this year marked a big one for some of Houston's energy leaders. Here were the top five most-read articles covering the mover and shaker news of 2023 — be sure to click through to read the full story.

Global consulting firm names new Houston energy practice leader​

Alvarez & Marsal announced the appointment of Jay Johnson as senior adviser to its energy practice. Photo via alvarezandmarsal.com

A top global professional services firm named a Houston-based energy leader amid industry evolution and regulatory changes.

Alvarez & Marsal, or A&M, announced the appointment of Jay Johnson as senior adviser to its energy practice.

“I enjoy bringing together teams of people to solve the complex challenges facing companies today,” Johnson says in a news release. “I’m looking forward to working with A&M’s energy team to build leadership and capabilities to address industry challenges.”

Click here to read the article from November.

Houston carbon storage solutions company names new energy transition leader at pivotal time of growth

Graham Payne, the new director of energy transition at Caliche Development Partners II, is bullish on Houston. Photo courtesy

Graham Payne sees a bright future for the multibillion-dollar energy transition economy in Houston.

“It’s been said that Houston is poised, like no other city, to lead the energy transition. And I’d have to agree, because we have all the requisite natural resources, industry, and talent,” says Payne, the new director of energy transition at Houston-based carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) company Caliche Development Partners II.

Caliche and other Houston-based energy transition companies secured $6.1 billion in private funding last year, up 62 percent from 2022, according to the Greater Houston Partnership.

Click here to read the article from October.

Investment banking firm launches cleantech group, names Houston-based co-leader

Moelis hired Arash Nazhad as Houston-based managing director and co-head of its newly formed clean energy technology group. Photo via rice.edu

A Houston investment banker has been tapped as co-leader of a new team at investment bank Moelis & Co. that will mine the energy sector for cleantech deals.

Publicly traded Moelis said September 7 that it hired Arash Nazhad as Houston-based managing director and co-head of its newly formed clean energy technology group. Nazhad joins Moelis from financial services giant Citigroup, where he was managing director of its clean energy investment team. He worked at Citigroup for nine years.

During his tenure at Citigroup and, before that, Norwegian energy company Equinor (which operates a Houston office), Nazhad helped carry out more than $50 billion in M&A advisory activities and helped raise over $40 billion in capital for clients. He’s been involved in the rollout of more than 20 IPOs.

Click here to read the article from September.

Houston energy transition leader joins California company's board with investment

Bobby Tudor has joined the board of an energy tech company. Photo via Houston.org

A Houston business leader has taken a seat at the table of a San Francisco-based tech company.

Puloli, an IoT solutions-as-a-service company has announced an investment from, Artemis Energy Partners, a Houston group founded by Bobby Tudor. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

With the transaction, Tudor joins Puloli's board of directors, bringing expertise from a storied career in energy transition from his roles at Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. and the Greater Houston Partnership.

"Bobby brings a tremendous amount of credibility and energy industry insight to Puloli and complements what Jodi Jahic and Aligned Partners bring to Puloli," Kethees Ketheesan, CEO of Puloli, says in a news release. "Bobby's endorsement of Puloli solution will be a big boost in accelerating our growth."

Click here to read the article from July.

Energy exec to take the reins of the Greater Houston Partnership

Steve Kean will transition from leading Kinder Morgan to assuming the role of president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership later this year. Photo courtesy of the GHP

A longtime energy executive has been named the next president and CEO of the Greater Houston Partnership. He'll take on the new role this fall.

The GHP named Steve Kean, who currently serves as the CEO of Kinder Morgan Inc., to the position. He's expected to transition from CEO to board of directors member at Kinder Morgan on August 1. Kean will then assume his new position at GHP no later than Dec. 1.

Dr. Marc L. Boom, GHP board chair and president and CEO of Houston Methodist, made the announcement at a press conference June 21.

“Steve brings incredible business acumen and leadership skills to the organization," Boom says in a statement. "Coupled with an extraordinary passion for Houston, he will build on the Partnership’s momentum to continue to advance greater Houston as a region of extraordinary growth and opportunity.”

Click here to read the article from June.

An innovative water production company has plans to create Houston-area plants — and more trending Houston energy transition news. Photo via skyh2o.com

M&A moves, innovative water co. expands, and more trending Houston energy transition news

well read

Editor's note: It's been a busy news week for energy transition in Houston, and some of this week's headlines resonated with EnergyCapital readers on social media and daily newsletter. Trending news included a unique water-producing company expanding in Texas new deals and partnerships, and more.

Innovative California company taps Houston area for purified water projects

A California tech company is planning on rolling out a handful of atmospheric water generation projects near Houston. Photo via skyh2o.com

Houstonians are used to filtering their water, but few really ponder why they’re doing it.

“Most people, when they think about water stress, they think about water scarcity, like what you see happening in Northern Africa or maybe the Southern U.S.,” says Alexander von Welczeck, chairman, president and CEO of SkyH2O. “A bigger, creeping issue, particularly in the industrialized world, is water toxicity.”

Some Houston tap water contains “forever chemicals” that can be toxic, as some reports have found. In fact, says von Welczeck, water toxicity is a problem across the Gulf Coast. That’s why the California-based businessman has identified Houston as the first region to benefit from SkyH2O’s technology. Read more.

Houston company closes offshore JV deal to drive innovation, efficiency in subsea production

The new joint venture, OneSubsea, is based in Oslo, Norway, and Houston. Photo courtesy

A new joint venture with co-headquarters in Houston will explore opportunities in the market for subsea systems that tap into offshore energy reserves.

The business, called OneSubsea, is a joint venture of Houston-based energy technology company SLB (Schlumberger), Norwegian energy engineering company Aker Solutions, and Luxembourg-based energy engineering company Subsea7. SLB holds a 70 percent stake in OneSubsea, with Aker’s share at 20 percent and Subsea7’s share at 10 percent.

The financial foundation of the joint venture is a combination of $700.5 million in stock, cash, and a promissory note. In addition, SLB and Aker folded their subsea businesses into the joint venture, which was announced in 2022. Read more.

Clean tech co. with U.S. HQ selected for UAE carbon capture project

Carbon Clean develops carbon capture technology for customers such as cement producers, steelmakers, refineries, and waste-to-energy plants. Photo via Carbon Clean

Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (ADNOC), the state-owned oil company of the United Arab Emirates, has chosen technology from United Kingdom-based company Carbon Clean for a carbon capture project in Abu Dhabi. Carbon Clean’s U.S. headquarters is in Houston.

Carbon Clean’s modular CycloneCC technology will be used for a carbon capture project at a Fertiglobe nitrogen fertilizer plant. Fertiglobe is a joint venture between ADNOC and OCI Global, a Netherlands-based chemical company.

“This project is hugely significant given it’s the first industrial deployment of our award-winning CycloneCC technology anywhere in the world,” says Aniruddha Sharma, chairman and CEO of Carbon Clean. “We are moving a step closer to achieving full commercialization of this modular solution, which will play a vital role in decarbonizing heavy industries and achieving net-zero targets.” Read more.

Houston carbon storage solutions company names new energy transition leader at pivotal time of growth

Graham Payne, the new director of energy transition at Caliche Development Partners II, is bullish on Houston. Photo courtesy

Graham Payne sees a bright future for the multibillion-dollar energy transition economy in Houston.

“It’s been said that Houston is poised, like no other city, to lead the energy transition. And I’d have to agree, because we have all the requisite natural resources, industry, and talent,” says Payne, the new director of energy transition at Houston-based carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) company Caliche Development Partners II.

Caliche and other Houston-based energy transition companies secured $6.1 billion in private funding last year, up 62 percent from 2022, according to the Greater Houston Partnership. Read more.

Airline fuels up for new flights from Houston to oil-and-gas country

It's wheels up to Midland-Odessa in January. Photo courtesy of JSX

Hop-on jet service JSX is adding a new, year-round destination for the millions of Texans who work in oil and gas: Midland-Odessa.

Starting January 15, 2024, JSX will fly nonstop from Houston and Dallas to Odessa Airport-Schlemeyer Field (ODT). Read more.

Graham Payne, the new director of energy transition at Caliche Development Partners II, is bullish on Houston. Photo courtesy

Houston carbon storage solutions company names new energy transition leader at pivotal time of growth

ready to grow

Graham Payne sees a bright future for the multibillion-dollar energy transition economy in Houston.

“It’s been said that Houston is poised, like no other city, to lead the energy transition. And I’d have to agree, because we have all the requisite natural resources, industry, and talent,” says Payne, the new director of energy transition at Houston-based carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) company Caliche Development Partners II.

Caliche and other Houston-based energy transition companies secured $6.1 billion in private funding last year, up 62 percent from 2022, according to the Greater Houston Partnership.

“As the region positions itself as the leader in the global energy transition, Houston has seen constant growth in annual energy transition investments over the last five years,” the partnership says.

Payne, a geologist, comes to Caliche after holding roles at Battelle and Schlumberger, among other companies. Houston-based Sudduth Search recruited Payne for the Caliche job.

In his new position, Payne is overseeing permitting and completion of a leased 4,000-acre site in Beaumont for sequestration of carbon dioxide. Payne will also work on current and potential gas storage projects, which he says “will continue to play an important role in the energy mix.”

At previous employers, Payne has tackled various aspects of CCUS.

“The really enticing part about this job is the chance to put it all together, and then operate a full-scale operation,” he says. “I want this technology to move firmly out of the research phase and start making a measurable difference against climate change.”

Payne says Caliche is capable of successfully straddling the worlds of CCUS, natural gas storage, and industrial gas storage. The Beaumont project alone will be able sequester at least 30 million metric tons of carbon, a Caliche estimate indicates.

In November, Caliche announced the acquisition of its first CCUS assets, Golden Triangle Storage and Central Valley Gas Storage, following a $268 million infusion of capital from Orion Infrastructure Capital and GCM Grosvenor. Orion maintains offices in Houston, New York City, and London. GCM is based in Chicago.

The Golden Triangle and Central Valley deals were valued at a combined $186 million.

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6 Houston greentech cos. named world's best & more top energy headlines

Trending News

Editor's note: Summer is heating up with big news in the energy transition sector, from Time's World's Top GreenTech Companies of 2026 to ExxonMobil's new Texas legal HQ. Below are the five most-read EnergyCapitalHTX stories published June 15-30, 2026:

6 Houston companies earn recognition on Time’s global greentech list 2026

Six Houston-area businesses appear on Time magazine’s 2026 list of the world’s top greentech companies, with a high-flying name leading the pack. The highest-ranked local company is Houston-based geothermal power producer Fervo Energy, which claims the No. 4 spot—up from No. 14 last year. Continue reading.

Houston-based Syzygy lands global customer for first commercial SAF plant

Houston-based Syzygy lands global customer for first commercial SAF plant

Houston-based Syzygy Plasmonics has secured a major future customer for its sustainable aviation fuel. Syzygy has entered into a capacity reservation agreement with World Fuel Services, a global fuel distribution and logistics company. Through the deal, World Fuel has reserved a portion of Syzygy's SAF production for future plants slated for Central and South America. The clean fuel will be produced at Syzygy’s NovaSAF-1 facility in Uruguay, which is moving toward construction. Continue reading.

Fervo promotes strategy leader to COO as flagship geothermal project nears launch

Houston geothermal unicorn Fervo Energy has named Sarah Jewett as its new COO. Jewett steps into the role as the company prepares for its flagship Cape Station geothermal project to deliver its first power later this year. Jewett joined Fervo in 2020 as director of strategy and most recently served as the company's senior vice president of strategy. Continue reading.

UH study finds Gulf Coast best positioned for emerging carbon removal technology

The Gulf Coast is an ideal spot for deploying a new ocean-based carbon removal technology that uses seawater to capture and store carbon dioxide, according to a new study from the University of Houston. The study was led by UH Cullen College of Engineering Professor Mim Rahimi and published in Nature’s Communications Sustainability journal. Abdelrahman Refaie, a PhD student at UH, authored the paper. It aimed to develop a plan for implementing an electrochemical marine carbon dioxide removal (e-mCDR) technology that treats seawater to increase the ocean’s ability to absorb and store carbon dioxide from the air. Continue reading.

ExxonMobil announces date to move legal headquarters to Texas

Energy giant Exxon Mobil Corp. has set a date to move its legal headquarters to Texas. The Spring-based company announced that the redomiciliation from New Jersey to Texas is expected to be effective July 1. Exxon's board of directors unanimously recommended redomiciling in the Lone Star State in March, and shareholders approved the move to Texas at the company’s annual meeting in May. Continue reading.

Baker Hughes signs deal to install 500 MW of geothermal power

geothermal growth

Baker Hughes has made a deal to further expand its geothermal operations.

The Houston-based energy giant has signed an agreement with Mantle Reach Power to develop geothermal energy projects across North America. The companies say they aim to install up to 500 megawatts of geothermal power in the next five years, according to a news release.

Through the new agreement, Baker Hughes will provide subsurface technology and solutions while Mantle Reach Power will lead project development, ownership and financing. Mantle Reach Power is a geothermal development company backed by the $47 billion EnCap Energy Transition Fund III.

According to the release, the deal aims to help solve one of geothermal energy's fundamental problems by aligning capital with expertise and technology, and enhancing "pre-construction bankability."

“Geothermal is a clean power solution that is proving to be a vital contributor to advancing sustainable energy development, with incredible potential to enhance U.S. energy security, support digital infrastructure, and ensure energy remains accessible and affordable ... Today’s announcement celebrates the commercial architecture the industry has been missing: a repeatable, financeable model that can be deployed at the speed and scale to meet global energy demands,” Baker Hughes Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Simonelli said in the news release.

“Integrating Baker Hughes’ subsurface-to-surface expertise with our capabilities in project development, finance, and execution positions Mantle Reach Power to commercialize geothermal assets at scale,” Nick Karambelas, CEO of Mantle Reach Power, added in the release. “This structure provides the construction and operating certainty necessary to access conventional project financing and accelerate our growth as an independent power producer.”

Baker Hughes has launched multiple geothermal partnerships in recent months. The company announced a deal with Oklahoma-based Helmerich & Payne Inc. (H&P) in May to develop a geothermal rig, where H&P will provide a geothermal-capable land drilling rig and Baker Hughes will contribute technology.

In March, the company announced support for XGS’s geothermal extraction projects in New Mexico, which are being used to meet the increasing demands of data centers in the state. Last year, Fervo Energy selected Baker Hughes to supply equipment for its flagship geothermal project in Utah.

ENGIE strikes clean energy deal with Houston biomanufacturer

energy match

ENGIE North America has signed an agreement with Aker BioMarine to supply around-the-clock, Texas-sourced clean energy to the Norwegian company's Houston manufacturing facility.

The deal is through ENGIE's 24/7 offering, which allows users to "match electricity consumption with local renewable generation on an hourly basis," rather than annual renewable energy matching, according to a news release.

Houston-based ENGIE NA will match 90% of Aker BioMarine's hourly electricity consumption at its Houston facility through renewable energy certificates that link electricity consumed to clean power generated. The renewable energy will be sourced largely from ENGIE's Impact Solar Project in Lamar County, Texas.

“Working with companies that have made sustainability a core part of their strategy is essential to delivering meaningful progress,” Taymur Bunkheila, regional VP and retail supply lead for ENGIE’s U.S. 24/7 product, said in the release. “By aligning energy solutions with operational needs, we can help organizations improve transparency, strengthen accountability, and deliver measurable outcomes. This agreement demonstrates how companies can take practical steps today while building toward long-term sustainability objectives.”

Aker BioMarine, which develops sustainable marine-based ingredients, processes the majority of its krill and algae products at its Houston facility. The company says the deal with ENGIE marks an important step in reducing the environmental footprint of its operations.

“Through this agreement, we expect to reduce our Scope 2 emissions, marking an important milestone in our broader sustainability journey,” Matts Johansen, CEO at Aker BioMarine, added in the release. “ENGIE has delivered an affordable, innovative and transparent solution that allows us to match our electricity consumption for our Houston manufacturing facility with renewable power generation. The transparent data ENGIE provides strengthens our climate reporting while helping us continue delivering high-quality products with a lower environmental footprint."

ENGIE has more than 11 gigawatts of renewable energy projects in operation or under construction in the U.S. and Canada. The company is targeting 95 gigawatts by 2030

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