ADVERTISEABOUT USSUBMIT A STORYSUBSCRIBETERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY
Visit our family of Brands

Houston chemical company divests new tech arm to PE

M&A moves

Merichem Company has created a new business unit that's been acquired by a private equity firm. Photo via Getty Images

A New Orleans-based private equity firm has announced the acquisition of a Houston chemical company's technology business unit, the business announced today.

Black Bay Energy Capital acquired a portion of Merichem Company’s business — including its Merichem Process Technologies and Merichem Catalyst Products, which will collectively be renamed Merichem Technologies. Merichem's caustic services business, which handles spent caustic for beneficial reuse, will be maintained by the company.

Cyndie Fredrick has been promoted to CEO of Merichem Technologies. She previously served as Merichem's senior vice president and general manager of Merichem Process Technologies. She's joined by CFO Rene Campos, Senior Vice President of Technology Jeff Gomach, and Senior Vice President of Catalysts William Rouleau, who are all former managers within Merichem.

“The Merichem Technologies team has successfully deployed highly engineered and patented technologies, chemical catalysts, and mechanical solutions to various end markets including liquified natural gas, midstream oil and gas, refining of traditional crude and renewable feedstocks, biogas/landfill/RNG production, geothermal energy production, and chemical manufacturing," Fredrick says in a news release. "Merichem Company has been a fantastic steward of this business for decades, and the entire Merichem Technologies team is excited about our new partnership with Black Bay and the ability to pursue new avenues for growth.”

Additionally, Merichem Company's CEO Kendra Lee will join the Merichem Technologies board. Lee's grandfather founded the company in 1945, and she told EnergyCapital last year that she hopes to continue the legacy of the company, which designs and fabricates equipment for sulfur removal.

“Our reputation has always stood on the principles of proven performance, unsurpassed expertise, and an uncommon commitment to our customers," Lee says in the release. "This divesture is a major milestone for Merichem Company as we continue to execute on our strategic vision, further cementing our leadership position in caustic services.”

Black Bay focuses on the energy and specialty chemical sectors, but the Merichem Technologies acquisition brings a new sulfur-treating platform to the firm.

“Sulfur treatment is a critical path item across many industrial applications around the world. Hydrogen sulfide, mercaptans, carbon dioxide, and other related impurities must be dealt with to ensure environmental compliance, sustainable operations, and a saleable end product," Tom Ambrose, partner of Black Bay, says in the release.

Who will be presenting at the 20th annual Rice Alliance Energy Tech Venture Forum — and more trending news from the week. Photo via rice.edu

Equinor buys into CCS project, Rice Alliance names energy startup participants, and more trending news

top stories

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 Rice Alliance naming its Energy Tech Venture Day participants, Equinor opting in to a CCS project on the Gulf Coast, and more.

Exclusive: Rice Alliance announces participants ahead of 20th annual energy symposium

Next month, 96 startups will pitch at an annual event focused on the future of energy. Here's who will be there. Photo via rice.edu

Dozens of companies will be a part of an upcoming energy-focused conference at Rice University — from climate tech startups to must-see keynote speakers.

The 20th annual Rice Alliance Energy Tech Venture Forum will take place on September 21 at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business. Anyone who's interested in learning more about the major players in the low-carbon future in Houston and beyond should join the industry leaders, investors, and promising energy and cleantech startups in attendance.

This year's keynote speakers include Christina Karapataki, partner at Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the venture capital fund backed by Bill Gates; Scott Nyquist, vice chairman at Houston Energy Transition Initiative, founded by the Greater Houston Partnership; and Jeff Tillery, COO at Veriten. Read more.

Equinor buys into massive CCS joint venture project near Houston

Through an acquisition, Equinor has joined a joint venture carbon capture and storage project in southeast Texas. Image via Getty Images

A Norwegian energy company with its United States headquarters in Houston has announced it has acquired a significant chunk of a carbon capture and storage joint venture.

Equinor now owns a 25 percent interest in Bayou Bend CCS LLC, which is reported to be one of the largest domestic carbon capture and storage projects. The project — a JV between Chevron, Talos Energy Inc., and now Equinor, is located along the Gulf Coast in southeast Texas. The terms of the deal were not disclosed

“Commercial CCS solutions are critical for hard-to-abate industries to meet their climate ambitions while maintaining their activity," Grete Tveit, senior vice president for Low Carbon Solutions in Equinor, says in a news release. "Entering Bayou Bend strengthens our low carbon solutions portfolio and supports our ambition to mature and develop 15-30 million tonnes of equity CO2 transport and storage capacity per year by 2035. Our experience from developing carbon storage projects can help advance decarbonization efforts in one of the largest industrial corridors in the US." Read more.

New Houston company launches to turn recycled materials into fuel

Tired of slow tire decomposition? This Houston company has a solution. Photo via InnoVentRenewables.com

Every year, over a billion tires are disposed of globally, and, while in use, tires are used to reach maximum speed on the road, their decomposition times are inordinately slow.

Houston-based InnoVent Renewables has a solution. The company launched this week to drive renewable energy forward with its proprietary continuous pyrolysis technology that is able to convert waste tires, plastics, and biomass into fuels and chemicals.

“We are thrilled to formally launch InnoVent Renewables and plan to ramp-up operations into early 2024," InnoVent Renewables CEO Vibhu Sharma says in a news release. “Our investors, strategic advisors, and management team are all fully committed to our success as we address the global challenge of waste tires. We firmly believe our proven process, deployed at scale globally, will have a huge positive impact on our climate and fill a clear environment need.” Read more.

French company to acquire Houston-based battery storage startup in $1B deal

Broad Reach Power's battery storage assets piqued a French company's interest. Photo via broadreachpower.com

A French utility company is buying the bulk of Houston-based Broad Reach Power’s battery energy storage business in a deal carrying an equity value of more than $1 billion.

Engie, has agreed to purchase the majority of the startup’s battery storage business from EnCap Energy Transition Fund I and three investment partners — New York City-based Yorktown Partners, Switzerland-based Mercuria Energy, and New York City-based Apollo Infrastructure Funds.

“This acquisition is fully in line with Engie’s strategy: It will contribute to the development of a low-carbon, affordable, and resilient energy system where flexible assets will play a critical role alongside renewables,” says Catherine MacGregor, the utility’s CEO. Read more.

How this 78-year-old Houston chemical company is evolving as an energy tech leader

“When we were founded, we were a chemical company. Today, we have morphed into a technology company,” says Kendra Lee, CEO of Merichem. Photo via LinkedIn

Kendra Lee had no designs on running the family business.

“In fact, I never planned on being a part of Merichem,” Lee recalls.

In 1945, Lee’s grandfather, John T. Files, and a pair of business partners founded the company in Houston. Their goal was to take a potential waste product and turn it into something that would benefit the oil and gas industry — an early attempt at sustainability.

What started as a soap and industrial cleaning company began procuring cresylate, which is a waste from the refineries treating gasoline, to recover spent cresylic acids, which are highly caustic, and refine them so they could be sold into the industrial chemicals market. Read more.

“When we were founded, we were a chemical company. Today, we have morphed into a technology company,” says Kendra Lee, CEO of Merichem. Photo via LinkedIn

How this 78-year-old Houston chemical company is evolving as an energy tech leader

at the helm

Kendra Lee had no designs on running the family business.

“In fact, I never planned on being a part of Merichem,” Lee recalls.

In 1945, Lee’s grandfather, John T. Files, and a pair of business partners founded the company in Houston. Their goal was to take a potential waste product and turn it into something that would benefit the oil and gas industry — an early attempt at sustainability.

What started as a soap and industrial cleaning company began procuring cresylate, which is a waste from the refineries treating gasoline, to recover spent cresylic acids, which are highly caustic, and refine them so they could be sold into the industrial chemicals market.

“When we were founded, we were a chemical company,” says Lee. “Today, we have morphed into a technology company.”

That transformation began in the 1970s. By 1997, when Merichem put the chemical end of their business into a joint venture with Sasol, the focus had transferred to Merichem Process Technology and Merichem Caustic Services, while Sasol took over the chemical branch.

Merichem Process Technology designs and fabricates equipment for sulfur removal, while Merichem Caustic Services works with companies to handle spent caustic for beneficial reuse rather than waste. The innovative company has more than 1,200 units licensed globally for operation in a myriad of applications. Those allow the 78-year-old company to further push sustainability as a priority.

Lee began her career with Merichem more than 20 years ago as an entry-level laboratory technician.

“I’ve never left, and I kept getting opportunities — now here I am,” she says.

Where she is is at the top of the ladder. Lee became chairman of the board in 2012 and CEO in 2014. But doesn’t think of Merichem as a family business. Lee is only the third member of the family to work at the company, including Files and the cousin who followed him as CEO.

Lee says that she seldom spoke to her grandfather about the business. He worked at Merichem until the day he died in 2002, but Lee recalls that, as a low-level employee, she didn’t have a single meeting with him before that time.

“Our interactions were very normal family dinners,” she explains.

Since her transition into leadership, Lee says, “My focus has really been on continuing the legacy my grandfather and cousin created. We’re very employee-focused and community-focused. Part of our role as part of our industry is to provide livelihoods and be good stewards in communities in which we operate.”

She adds that she’s also focused on innovation.

“That was a big part of who my grandfather was. That’s how we transitioned from being a chemical company to a technology company” she says. That means looking for new methods not only in the research facility, but in every segment of the company.

That eye toward the next big discovery will likely see a significant payoff in one to three years, when a new product, designed to improve on hydrogen sulfide removal — with a new catalyst that is regnerable — will be commercially available. But right now, customers can take advantage of the company’s new Standard LO-CAT® system. The product is the result of continuous improvements from the previous system and boasts low operating costs, no liquid waste streams, and significant turndown capability.

And what will follow for the Houston born-and-based company? Merichem has plans to push further into the renewables field, says Lee, adding that there is a continued need for Merichem’s technology as we transition into other types of energy, including geothermal. More than three quarters of a century after its founding, Merichem is still a company on the forefront.

Ad Placement 300x100
Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Property Showcase

30+ CERAWeek events featuring Houston energy leaders

where to be

CERAWeek returns to Houston March 23-27, bringing more than 1,000 speakers, executives and energy innovators to Houston.

Under this year's theme, "Convergence and Competition: Energy, Technology and Geopolitics,” panels will tackle topics ranging from policy and global relations to the growing role of AI in the energy sector. Most of the innovation-themed events are organized under the Agora track and will feature many Houston-area startups, universities, companies and scientists. Panels will feature leaders from Fortune 500 companies and top U.S. government officials, scientists and founders pushing towards a more carbon-neutral future.

Here are some of the many events featuring Houston leaders on the Agora track you can't miss if you want to learn more about Houston energy innovation.

Monday, March 23rd


Scaling Innovation: Building the ecosystem for the next energy breakthroughs

Featuring: Georgina Campbell Flatter, CEO of Greentown Labs

This event is at 10:30 a.m. Find more info here

Vaulted Deep | The Subsurface as Waste and Carbon Infrastructure

Featuring: Julia Reichelstein, co-founder and CEO of Vaulted Deep

This event is at 11:30 a.m. Find more info here

Collaboration Spotlight | Collision Course: How Houston's Ion District turns proximity into innovation

Featuring: Adrian Tromel, chief innovation officer at Rice University; Rawand Rasheed, co-founder and CEO of Helix Earth Technologies; Marc Davidson, senior technical advisor at Veriten

This event is at 1:30 p.m. Find more info here.

Methane Reduction in Practice: Field learnings

Featuring: Matt Kolesar, chief environmental scientist at ExxonMobil

This event is at 2 p.m. Find more info here.

Time-to-AI: Shrinking the data-center clock

Featuring: Robert Ott, vice president of wholesale origination at NRG Energy; Andrew Johnston, business line director, data centers at SLB

This event is at 2:30 p.m. Find more info here.

Scaling CCUS: Which industries, regions and funding sources?

Featuring: Gino Thielens, vice president of renewables and energy efficiency at SLB; Ian McIntyre, senior vice president, 1PointFive

This event is at 3 p.m. Find more info here.

Democratization of AI: Redefining where work gets done

Featuring: Rob Crane, technology scouting and venturing manager at SLB

This event is at 3:30 p.m. Find more info here.

Tuesday, March 24th


Syzygy Plasmonics | Affordable, Globally Compliant SAF Using Abundant Biogas Feedstock

Featuring: Trevor Best, CEO and founder of Syzygy Plasmonics

This event is at noon. Find more info here.

Accelerating Idea to Impact: Carving new ways to innovation

Featuring: David Sholl, executive vice president for research at Rice University

This event is at 1 p.m. Find more info here.

NRG | From the Front Lines: A deep dive into grid reliability

Featuring: Matthew Pistner, senior vice president of generation at NRG Energy; Robert Patrick, vice president of development engineering and construction at NRG Energy

This event is at 1:30 p.m. Find more info here.

Energy Efficiency: The industrial advantage

Featuring: Jason Urso, CTO of Honeywell Industrial Automation

This event is at 1:30 p.m. Find more info here.

The CEO Blueprint | Strategy

Featuring: Lorenzo Simonelli, CEO and chairman of Baker Hughes

This event is at 2:55 p.m. Find more info here.

Occidental | Beyond the Technology: Turning direct air capture into CDR credits

Featuring: William Barrett, vice president of product development at 1PointFive

This event is at 3:30 p.m. Find more info here.

Wednesday, March 25th


Innovations in Sustainable Steel

Featuring: Laureen Meroueh, founder and CEO of Heartha Metals Inc.

This event is at 9 a.m. Find more info here.

Rice University | The Science of Geologic Carbon Storage

Featuring: Sahar Bakhshian, assistant professor, earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Rice University

This event is at 9:30 a.m. Find more info here.

Sparking Innovation: The impact of interdisciplinary collaboration

Featuring: Marie Contou Carrere, executive director of the Rice Sustainability Institute; Sandy Guitar, executive director of TEX-E

This event is at 10 a.m. Find more info here.

Models of Innovation, Models of Capital

Featuring: Bobby Tudor, chair of Houston Energy Transition Initiative and chairman of the board for Greentown Labs

This event is at 10:30 a.m. Find more info here.

Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition

This event is at noon. Find more info here. Learn more about the competing teams here.

Baker Hughes | Meeting Industrial and AI-Driven Energy Demand with Flexible, Reliable and Sustainable Power Solutions

Featuring: Daniele Marcucci, industrial power generation product director at Baker Hughes; Florent Rousset, geothermal leader, new energies at Baker Hughes

This event is at noon. Find more info here.

Thursday, March 26th


Mission-driven Minds: How space exploration inspires the next generation of energy innovators

Featuring: Trina Sadberry, head of brand & engagement in the United States at Equinor; Laura Dandridge, corporate affairs advisor at Chevron; Jack Fischer, chief integration officer at Intuitive Machines; Ginger Kerrick Davis, chief strategy officer at Barrios Technology

This event is at 9 a.m. Find more info here.

Rice University | Nature-based Solutions: A focus on biochar and enhanced rock weathering

Featuring: Carrie Masiello, director of the sustainability institute at Rice University; Mark Torres, associate professor, earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Rice University

This event is at 9:30 a.m. Find more info here.

Growing Direct Air Capture

Featuring: Anthony Cottone, resident and general manager at 1PointFive

This event is at 9:30 a.m. Find more info here.

Occidental | Advancement and Growth Opportunities for Enhanced Oil Recovery

Featuring: Vishal Gupta, president and general manager of EOR Ventures at Occidental

This event is at 9:30 a.m. Find more info here.

Geothermal: Charting progress on technological advancements

Featuring: Jonathan Ajo-Franklin, trustee professor, earth, environmental and planetary sciences at Rice University; Florent Rousset, geothermal leader, new energies at Baker Hughes

This event is at 10 a.m. Find more info here.

Newfound Materials | Bridging the Synthesis Gap in AI-Driven Materials Innovation

Featuring: Matt McDermott, founder and CEO of Newfound Materials

This event is at 10 a.m. Find more info here.

Hertha Metals | The Future of Steel Production: Going beyond the blast furnace

Featuring: Laureen Meroueh, founder and CEO of Heartha Metals Inc.

This event is at 11 a.m. Find more info here.

Advanced Materials with Low-Carbon Intensity

Featuring: Matteo Pasquali, director of the Rice Carbon Hub

This event is at 11:30 a.m. Find more info here.

Lessons from the Lab: Common pitfalls of hard tech startups

Featuring: Jeremy Pitts, managing director of Activate Houston

This event is at 11:30 a.m. Find more info here.

TotalEnergies | Accelerating Direct Air Capture

Featuring: Isabelle Betremieux, head of R&T CO2 capture department at TotalEnergies

This event is at 1 p.m. Find more info here.

Spotlight: "NextGen" energy leaders of the future

Featuring: Renu Khator, chancellor and president of the University of Houston

This event is at 3 p.m. Find more info here.

Solidec | On-site, On-demand Production of Essential Chemicals

Featuring: Ryan DuChanois, co-founder and CEO of Solidec

This event is at 3:30 p.m. Find more info here.

Fervo secures $421M in financing for Cape Station construction

fresh funding

Houston geothermal unicorn Fervo Energy has closed $421 million in non-recourse debt financing for the first phase of its flagship Cape Station project in Beaver County, Utah.

Fervo believes Cape Station can meet the needs of surging power demand from data centers, domestic manufacturing and an energy market aiming to use clean and reliable power. According to the company, Cape Station will begin delivering its first power to the grid this year and is expected to reach approximately 100 megwatts of operating capacity by early 2027. Fervo added that it plans to scale to 500 megawatts.

The $421 million financing package includes a $309 million construction-to-term loan, a $61 million tax credit bridge loan, and a $51 million letter of credit facility. The facilities will fund the remaining construction costs for the first phase of Cape Station, and will also support the project’s counterparty credit support requirements.

Coordinating lead arrangers include Barclays, BBVA, HSBC, MUFG, RBC and Société Générale, with additional participation from Bank of America, J.P. Morgan and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Limited, New York Branch.

“As demand for firm, clean, affordable power accelerates, EGS (Enhanced Geothermal Systems) is set to become a core energy asset class for infrastructure lenders,” Sean Pollock, managing director, project Finance at RBC Capital Markets, said in a news release. “Fervo is pioneering this step change with Cape Station, a vital contribution to American energy security that RBC is proud to support.”

The oversubscribed financing marks Cape Station’s shift from early-stage and bridge funding to a long-term, non-recourse capital structure, according to the news release.

“Non-recourse financing has historically been considered out of reach for first-of-a-kind projects,” David Ulrey, CFO of Fervo Energy, said in a news release. “Cape Station disrupts that narrative. With proven oil and gas technology paired with AI-enabled drilling and exploration, robust commercial offtake, operational consistency, and an unrelenting focus on health and safety, we have shown that EGS is a highly bankable asset class.”

Fervo continues to be one of the top-funded startups in the Houston area. The company has raised about $1.5 billion prior to the latest $421 million. It also closed a $462 million Series E in December.

According to Axios Pro, Fervo filed for an IPO that would value the company between $2 billion and $3 billion in January.

HETI members to take the stage at CERAWeek 2026 in Houston

The View from HETI

CERAWeek returns to Houston March 23–27, convening global industry leaders to explore the trends shaping the future of energy.

The Greater Houston Partnership’s Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI) members will play a key role in this year’s program, contributing to discussions spanning digital innovation, power systems, decarbonization and workforce. Below are the sessions featuring HETI members throughout the week:

AI in Energy: Managing the Transformation
Monday, March 23 | 9:30-10:00 a.m.
Speakers: Hector Rocha, Accenture; Rebecca Hofmann, Blockchain For Energy; Paul Markwell, S&P Global

Scaling Innovation: Building the Ecosystem for the Next Energy Breakthroughs
Monday, March 23 | 10:30-11:10 a.m.
Speakers: Graham Gordon, Accenture; Carolyn Seto, S&P Global; Bernie Bulkin, Global Energy Infrastructure Plc; Georgina Campbell Flatter, Greentown Labs
Examines how partnerships across capital, policy and infrastructure can accelerate commercialization and scaling of breakthrough energy technologies.

Oil Strategies for a World in Transition
Monday, March 23 | 11:15-11:55 a.m.
Speakers: Olivier Le Peuch, SLB; Anders Opedal, Equinor; Vicki Hollub, Occidental; Atul Arya, S&P Global
Discusses how producers are adapting portfolio strategies to balance resilience, demand outlooks and transition pressures.

Gas: Growing Markets and New Players
Monday, March 23 | 12:00-12:40 p.m.
Speakers: Liz Westcott, Woodside Energy; Toby Rice, EQT Corporation; Shankari Srinivasan, S&P Global; Ryosuke Tsugaru, JERA CO., INC.

Advances in Exploration Technologies for Oil & Gas and Mining
Monday, March 23 | 1:30-2:10 p.m.
Speakers: Amy Callahan, Accenture; Hussein Shel, Amazon Web Services; Oscar Abbink, S&P Global
Highlights sensing, imaging and AI tools improving discovery efficiency and sustainability in exploration.

AI in Action: From Pilot to Profit
Monday, March 23 | 1:30-2:00 p.m.
Speakers: Shridevi Bale, Accenture; Paul Gruenwald, S&P Global
Shares lessons from scaling AI deployments beyond pilots into measurable operational value.

Power Networks: Collaborating to Meet Demand
Monday, March 23 | 2:15-2:55 p.m.
Speakers: Lawrence Coben, NRG Energy; Jim Murphy, Invenergy; Eduard Sala de Vedruna, S&P Global
Examines grid readiness and collaboration models needed to manage surging electricity demand.

New Phase of Gas: From Regional Security to Global Market Integration
Monday, March 23 | 3:00-3:40 p.m.
Speakers: Cederic Cremers, Shell; Balaji Krishnamurthy, Chevron; Kevin Gallagher, Santos; Mansoor Al Hamed, Mubadala Energy; Dave Ernsberger, S&P Global
Discusses LNG’s evolving role in global integration, energy security and future pricing structures.

Transforming Upstream: Pathways to Scaling New Technologies
Monday, March 23 | 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Speakers: Rami El Debs, Accenture; Trey Lowe, Devon Energy; Bader Al-Attar, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation
Explores adoption of advanced digital and automation technologies in upstream operations.

Leadership Dialogue
Tuesday, March 24 | 9:00-9:20 a.m.
Speakers: Wael Sawan, Shell; Daniel Yergin, S&P Global

One Grid, One ASEAN: Building a Shared Clean Energy Future
Tuesday, March 24 | 10:30-11:10 a.m.
Speakers: Akihiro Ondo, Mitsubishi Power; Gauri Jauhar, S&P Global

Harmonizing Carbon Accounting: Charting a Path Forward
Tuesday, March 24 | 10:40-11:20 a.m.
Speakers: Edward Stones, Dow; Sasha Mackler, ExxonMobil; Musaab Al-Mulla, Saudi Aramco; Kevin Birn, S&P Global
Examines efforts to standardize emissions accounting to improve comparability and market transparency.

Global Exploration Revival: Lessons and New Strategies
Tuesday, March 24 | 11:30-12:10 p.m.
Speakers: John Ardill, ExxonMobil; Dan Pratt, S&P Global; Guido Brusco, Eni

How Will AI Change the Game for Energy Profitability?
Tuesday, March 24 | 12:20-1:00 p.m.
Speakers: Rakesh Jaggi, SLB; Jim Masso, Honeywell; Atul Arya, S&P Global; Darryl Willis, Microsoft; Renata Baruzzi, Petrobras
Examines how AI and cloud technologies could reshape cost structures and performance across energy systems.

Balancing Act: Price, Reliability and the Global Call on U.S. Energy
Tuesday, March 24 | 2:35-3:15 p.m.
Speakers: Stéphane Michel, TotalEnergies; Eleonor Kramarz, S&P Global; Matt Schatzman, NextDecade; Brian Falik, Mercuria Energy America
Explores tensions between domestic supply reliability and global export opportunities.

The Future of Upstream: Matching Capital Discipline with Opportunity
Tuesday, March 24 | 2:35-3:15 p.m.
Speakers: Richard Jackson, Occidental; Philippe Mathieu, Equinor; Niloufar Molavi, PwC; Bob Fryklund, S&P Global

Transforming the Energy Industry: How Will Technology Change Business Models?
Tuesday, March 24 | 2:35- 3:15 p.m.
Speakers: Ryder Booth, Chevron; Peter Terwiesch, ABB; Atul Arya, S&P Global
Examines digital transformation and new partnership models reshaping energy value chains.

Sustainable Solutions: Partnership, Technology and Innovative Paths
Tuesday, March 24 | 3:25-4:05 p.m.
Speakers: Barry Engle, ExxonMobil; Luis Cabra, Repsol; Leanne Todd, S&P Global; Roeland Baan, Topsoe
Highlights collaborative approaches to deploying scalable decarbonization solutions.

The Future of Refining: Resilience, Innovation and Low-Carbon Pathways
Tuesday, March 24 | 3:25-4:05 p.m.
Speakers: Amber Russell, bp; Kurt Barrow, S&P Global; Martijn van Koten, OMV; Atsuhiko Hirano, Idemitsu; Magnus Heimburg, VAROPreem
Explores how refining and supply chains are adapting to policy, demand and emissions pressures.

Reinventing Business Strategies: Thriving in the New Energy Economy
Tuesday, March 24 | 4:15-4:55 p.m.
Speakers: Muqsit Ashraf, Accenture; Philippe Frangules, S&P Global; Sushil Purohit, Gentari Sdn Bhd
Discusses evolving strategies integrating new technologies and markets.

Creating AI-Ready Organizations
Tuesday, March 24 | 4:20-5:05 p.m.
Speakers: David Rabley, Accenture; Gwenaelle Avice-Huet, Schneider Electric; Dave Ernsberger, S&P Global; Rob Schapiro, Microsoft; Geoffrey Parker, Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society at Dartmouth
Focuses on workforce, leadership and infrastructure required for effective AI adoption.

Meeting Power Demand for Data Centers
Wednesday, March 25 | 10:30-11:20 a.m.
Speakers: Karim Amin, Siemens Energy; Ed Baine, Dominion Energy; Douglas Giuffre, S&P Global; Ingmar Ritzenhofen, RWE Supply & Trading and RWE Clean Energy; Amanda Peterson Corio, Google; Jim Shield, Invenergy
Discusses strategies for aligning infrastructure, policy and markets to meet data-center load growth.

Where Agentic AI Is Now and What Comes Next
Wednesday, March 25 | 10:30-11:00 a.m.
Speakers: Tathagata Basu, Honeywell; Ben Wilson, Amazon Web Services, Bhavesh Dayalji, S&P Global

People Power: Strategic Human Capital in a New Energy Era
Wednesday, March 25 | 10:40-11:20 a.m.
Speakers: Jessica Van Singel, Accenture
Examines workforce strategy alignment with innovation and competitiveness goals.

Global Energy Pathways in the Age of Abundance
Wednesday, March 25 | 11:45-12:35 p.m.
Speakers: Gareth Ramsay, bp; Atul Arya, S&P Global; Olu Verheijen, Office of the President of the Federal Public of Nigeria

Agentic AI: Embracing Autonomy
Thursday, March 26 | 10:00-10:30 a.m.
Speakers: Trygve Randen, SLB; Uwa Airhiavbere, Microsoft; Eric Hanselman, S&P Global
Examines governance and reliability considerations as autonomous AI systems expand in energy.

The Changing Mix of U.S. Power Generation: Gas, Renewables, Coal, Nuclear and Beyond
Thursday, March 26 | 10:30-11:20 a.m.
Speakers: Bill Newsom, Mitsubishi Power; Douglas Giuffre, S&P Global; John-Paul Jones, Urenco Enrichment Company; Leslie Duke, Burns & McDonnell; Mike DeBock, NextEra Energy Resources
Explores how policy and technology shifts are reshaping generation portfolios.

Large Load Growth: Reshaping the Future of Power
Thursday, March 26 | 11:10-11:50 a.m.
Speakers: Robert Gaudette, NRG Energy; Petter Skantze, NextEra Energy Resources; Douglas Giuffre, S&P Global; Peter Lake, National Energy Dominance Council
Discusses planning and market responses to large-scale electricity demand.

Interconnecting America: The Grid’s Last Mile
Thursday, March 26 | 12:00-12:40 p.m.
Speakers: Tim Holt, Siemens Energy; Philippe Frangules, S&P Global; David Brast, TC Energy; David Rosner, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

AI: Driving Performance in the Power Sector
Thursday, March 26 | 3:05-3:45 p.m.
Speakers: Dak Liyanearachchi, NRG Energy; Hanna Grene, Microsoft; Douglas Giuffre, S&P Global
Explores AI use cases improving grid management and forecasting.

Digital Twins: The AI Enabler for Multiple Sectors
Thursday, March 26 | 4:30-5:10 p.m.
Speakers: Sacha Abinader, Accenture; Oscar Abbink, S&P Global
Examines digital twins enabling predictive maintenance and AI training environments.

View the full CERAWeek agenda.

———

This article originally appeared on the Greater Houston Partnership's Houston Energy Transition Initiative blog. HETI exists to support Houston's future as an energy leader. For more information about the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, EnergyCapitalHTX's presenting sponsor, visit htxenergytransition.org.

View All Listings