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Pattern Energy expands clean energy portfolio with acquisition of Canadian producer

acquisition closed

Pattern Energy will now own one of the largest independent clean energy infrastructure platforms in North America. Photo via Getty Images

Clean energy and transmission infrastructure company Pattern Energy completed the acquisition of Canadian independent power producer Cordelio Power this month.

Pattern Energy, which is headquartered in San Francisco and has major operations in Houston, will now own one of the largest independent clean energy infrastructure platforms in North America, according to a release.

Pattern Energy will add approximately 1,550 megawatts of operating and in-construction assets, including 16 wind, solar and energy storage projects across the United States and Canada, as part of the deal. In addition, they have also acquired the majority of Cordelio’s development pipeline in key U.S. markets and members of Cordelio’s team.

“Closing this transaction marks a significant milestone for Pattern Energy as we continue to scale our platform to meet North America’s growing energy needs,” Hunter Armistead, CEO of Pattern Energy, said in the release. “Cordelio brings a highly complementary portfolio of quality assets and a talented team. Together, we are even better positioned to power the future.”

Currently, Pattern Energy’s portfolio includes wind, solar and energy storage projects in over 40 facilities in North America. Pattern Energy had 12,000 megawatts of operating and in-construction capacity before the deal.

The acquisition was first announced Jan. 6, 2025.

“Pattern and Cordelio share a commitment to responsible development and the communities in which we work,” Chris Hind, CEO of Cordelio Power, said in a news release. “We look forward to joining with Pattern Energy to deliver high-quality projects with expanded product offerings to support customers across more markets.”


Pattern Energy doubled down on its Houston commercial space in 2023, moving the company's development, meteorological, transmission and energy trading teams to a new office in the Montrose Collective. The company's Operations Control Center is also based in Houston.

Its Houston-based development team was assigned to work on Pattern's SunZia Transmission and Wind project in New Mexico and Arizona, expected to be one of the largest clean energy infrastructure projects in U.S. The project is targeting commercial operations this year, according to Pattern Energy's website.

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Acquisitions, consolidations, divestitures — here's what news of energy transition deals in Houston trended this year. Photo via Getty Images

M&A moves: Most trending Houston energy transition news on big deals from 2024

year in review

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 acquisitions to consolidations, this year marked a big one for some of Houston's energy companies. Here were the top five most-read articles covering deals of 2024 — be sure to click through to read the full story.

PE firm acquires Houston renewables fuels infrastructure company

Ara Partners announced this week that it has acquired a majority interest in Houston-based USD Clean Fuels. Image via Shutterstock.

Fresh off its $3 billion fund closure, a Houston private equity firm has made its latest acquisition.

Ara Partners announced this week that it has acquired a majority interest in Houston-based USD Clean Fuels, a developer of logistics infrastructure for renewable fuels. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"We have high conviction that the green molecules economy – whether it's renewable fuel feedstocks or biofuels – offers disproportionate opportunity for returns and impact," George Yong, partner and co-head of Infrastructure at Ara Partners, says. Continue reading.

McKinsey acquires Houston-area co. to enhance sustainability services

According to McKinsey data, more than $3.5 trillion will be invested in green hydrogen, carbon capture, renewable energy, and other projects that are working toward net-zero transition by 2050. Photo via ses-estimating.com

A global management consulting company has executed on an acquisition key to its plans amid the energy transition.

McKinsey & Company announced the acquisition of Strategic Estimating Systems, a Sugar Land-based consulting firm specializing in cost estimation for oil, gas, and chemical process industries. The acquisition provides McKinsey with enhanced benchmarking capabilities across capital project management — especially within the energy transition.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"The capital projects ecosystem is presented with a once-in-a-generation chance to aid in transforming economies to achieve net zero," Justin Dahl, partner and global leader of McKinsey & Company's Capital Analytics, says. Continue reading.

Houston chemical company divests new tech arm to PE

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. Continue reading.

SLB to consolidate carbon capture business in partnership

The combined technology portfolios will accelerate the introduction of promising early-stage decarbonization technology. Photo via Getty Images

SLB announced its plans to combine its carbon capture business with Norway company, Aker Carbon Capture.

Upon completion of the transaction, which is expected to close by the end of the second quarter of this year, SLB will own 80 percent of the combined business and ACC will own 20 percent.

According to a SLB news release, the combined technology portfolios will accelerate the introduction of promising early-stage decarbonization technology.

“For CCUS to have the expected impact on supporting global net-zero ambitions, it will need to scale up 100-200 times in less than three decades,” Olivier Le Peuch, CEO of SLB, says. Continue reading.

Houston-based co. closes acquisition of 50 percent stake in Texas cogeneration facility

Fengate has completed the acquisition of a 50 percent stake in a Texas cogeneration facility, which supplies power and steam to a major industrial site. Photo via Fengate

Fengate Asset Management announced the financial close on the acquisition of a 50 percent interest in Freeport Power Limited, which owns a 440-megawatt cogeneration facility in Freeport, Texas.

FPL is located near the Freeport Energy Center, which is a 260-megawatt cogeneration facility that is currently owned and managed by Fengate. The two facilities work to provide cost-effective power and steam to Dow’s Freeport site, which is the largest integrated chemical manufacturing complex in the Western Hemisphere.

“We are thrilled to have closed this acquisition, which aligns with our strategy of acquiring behind-the-meter cogeneration projects with strong industrial partners like Dow,” Greg Calhoun, managing director of Infrastructure Investments at Fengate, says. Continue reading.

Fengate has completed the acquisition of a 50 percent stake in a Texas cogeneration facility, which supplies power and steam to a major industrial site. Photo via Fengate

Houston-based co. closes acquisition of 50 percent stake in Texas cogeneration facility

M&A Moves

Fengate Asset Management announced the financial close on the acquisition of a 50 percent interest in Freeport Power Limited, which owns a 440-megawatt cogeneration facility in Freeport, Texas.

FPL is located near the Freeport Energy Center, which is a 260-megawatt cogeneration facility that is currently owned and managed by Fengate. The two facilities work to provide cost-effective power and steam to Dow’s Freeport site, which is the largest integrated chemical manufacturing complex in the Western Hemisphere.

“We are thrilled to have closed this acquisition, which aligns with our strategy of acquiring behind-the-meter cogeneration projects with strong industrial partners like Dow,” Greg Calhoun, managing director of Infrastructure Investments at Fengate, says in a news release.

Fengate was able to acquire interest in FPL under a strategic operating partnership with asset manager Ironclad Energy. The partnership with Ironclad was established in 2022 to acquire and operate cogeneration, district energy and other power generation projects throughout North America.

“This is our second acquisition with Fengate, and we look forward to continuing our partnership to optimize and expand the portfolio,” Christopher Fanella, president and CFO of Ironclad Energy, says in the release.

Fengate opened its first U.S. office in 2017 in Houston.

“Combined heat and power projects like FPL will continue to play an important role in the U.S. power industry – especially for hard-to-abate industrial sectors – to ensure reliability, efficiency and affordability,” adds in the release.

Included in the deal, is the newly leased facility that spans 567,140 square feet and can accommodate 2.5 gigawatts of solar module manufacturing capacity. Photo via Pixabay

Solar company acquires Houston manufacturer to expand production capacity, meet growing demand

M&A moves

Solar solution company TOYO Solar announced it has agreed to acquire 100 percent of membership interests in Houston area’s Solar Plus Technology Texas LLC.

Included in the deal, is the newly leased facility that spans 567,140 square feet and can accommodate 2.5 gigawatts of solar module manufacturing capacity. The goal is to expand it to 6.5 gigawatts by 2029. TOYO Solar LLC will make a capital contribution of $19.96 million to TOYO Solar LLC.

"By acquiring Solar Plus, we will accelerate our development and leverage our team's proven manufacturing excellence, as well as the extensively established customer relationships and the brand of our sister company, Vietnam Sunergy, a Tier 1 Bloomberg NEF solar manufacturer," Junsei Ryu, chairman and CEO of TOYO, says in a news release. "We are confident that our expansion in the U.S. will effectively deliver a comprehensive solar technology solution, addressing bottlenecks for developers, meeting local content requirements for U.S. solar projects, and enhancing TOYO's competitive advantage."

The factory construction of Phase 1 has been completed, and equipment will begin to arrive by early 2025.The facility's first 1 gigawatts production is expected to commence by mid-2025 with production capacity increasing to 2.5 gigawatts by the end of 2025 according to the company.

As the demand for American-made solar panels continues amid grid reliability issues in Texas, TOYO hopes it can help with its sustainable energy solutions after having success in Vietnam and Ethiopia.

"Our strategy is to supply end customers with solar solutions that are technologically advanced, highly reliable, and cost competitive,” Ryu says in the release. “We are committed to building a robust global solar supply chain structure that efficiently and competitively serves the U.S. market and other regions, adapting to a dynamic policy environment.”

Houston-based ROGII has acquired a new software to integrate into its platform. Photo via ROGII.com

Houston geology software provider makes strategic acquisition to expand platform

growing

An advanced geosteering, geoscience, and drilling software solutions company based in Houston has announced the acquisition of of a software platform.

ROGII plans to acquire TerraSLS's TLog Mudlog Editor software, which is used to generate vertical, and horizontal striplogs for use by geologists. The acquisition “will significantly enhance ROGII's product offerings by providing operators and clients with unprecedented real-time connectivity to mudlogging data,” according to ROGII. Mudlogging is a process that involves examining the cuttings of rock brought to the surface by the drilling.

“Our acquisition of TLog marks another step forward in our mission to deliver the most advanced, real-time data solutions to the oil and gas industry,” CEO of ROGII Igor B. Uvarov says in a news release. “The integration of TLog’s capabilities into our Solo Cloud platform will revolutionize the way operators and mudlogging service companies interact, making mudlogging a truly real-time process and driving greater efficiency and collaboration.”

One way it works is that ROGII will integrate TLog into its Solo Cloud platform, which will advance mudlogging data. This gathers it all into a real-time data exchange between mudlogging service companies and its operators.

The integration will allow operators to monitor mudlogging activities in real-time, which means a possible faster and more informed decision-making processes. The user will get immediate access to data, which can help enhance collaboration and improve efficiency. In addition, the mudlogging data will be safely stored on Solo Cloud for future analysis and data integration, which assists with maintaining integrity of the data.

“We look forward to investing in further development of TLog, increasing user-friendliness, expanding adoption worldwide, and making it the industry standard, being used by all mudlogging service companies,” Uvarov adds.
Dallas-based CBRE has acquired NRG's renewable advisory group. Photo via NRG.com

Houston-based NRG Energy exits renewables group to Texas real estate company

M&A Moves

NRG Energy, headquartered in Houston, has sold its renewable advisory group to Dallas-based commercial real estate services powerhouse CBRE. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

The advisory group, led by Miro Sutton, brokers renewable energy deals, such as community- and utility-scale transactions, and advises clients on handling tax credits for renewable energy projects. The team works primarily with Fortune 500 companies.

Sutton joined CBRE as head of renewables and energy after overseeing the NRG advisory group. The group has arranged deals involving more than 5,000 megawatts of clean power.

“CBRE targeted this specific advisory team because of their unique approach to renewable procurement and expansive coverage of renewable offerings. They have enabled hundreds of projects and thousands of [megawatts] through their innovative contract structures that reduce risk and enhance economics for their customers,” Robert Bernard, CBRE’s chief sustainability officer, told Utility Dive.

In a news release, Bernard says market demand for renewable energy continues to grow rapidly as companies seek to meet their net-zero goals and other energy-related commitments.

“However, integrating renewable energy into a company’s real estate can be a complex process,” Bernard adds. “This acquisition enables CBRE to offer a wide range of energy-related sustainability services to all our clients, both occupiers and investors, and help them simplify the complexity associated with planning, sourcing and managing renewable energy.”

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Meet the 80+ startups pitching at Houston Energy and Climate Week

Pitch Lineup

One of the highlights from Houston Energy and Climate Week is hearing directly from the up-and-coming founders working to reshape the energy landscape.

This year, dozens of startups from Brazil to Berkeley and from right here in the Bayou City will compete for cash prizes and bragging rights while showcasing their concepts at HECW pitch events. Here's who's pitching at some of the week's signature competitions. Check back after the week wraps to see who takes home the top prizes.

Cypher Pilotathon and Startup Showcase — Sept. 15 at POST Houston

At the Cypher Pilotathon, founders will give their best 7-minute pilot pitches to industry experts and a live audience, followed by Q&A. This year's event will center around the theme, "The NEW Energy Industrial Revolution." Here's who's pitching:

  • Houston-based Aeromine Technologies, a distributed wind turbine company
  • San Francisco-based Ammobia, which develops low-carbon, energy source-agnostic ammonia
  • Birmingham, Alabama-based Ashipa Electric, a renewable energy semiconductor and microgrid manufacturer
  • Houston-based BigMachine AI, an AI engineer for industrial projects
  • Houston-based Corrolytics, which has developed corrosion detection technology
  • São Paulo, Brazil-based GLR Tech, which has developed a compact, scalable, low-cost platform for industrial emissions control
  • Monreal-based Green Graphite Technologies, which produces battery-grade graphite in a cost-effective and sustainable manner
  • Boston-based KIRA, which converts industrial wastewater into ultrapure water and solids
  • Edinburgh-based Mocean Energy, which works to deliver renewable ocean energy to power offshore industry
  • Los Angeles-based Mote, which works to convert agricultural and forestry waste into clean energy
  • Berkeley-based Oleo, which is developing a biomanufacturing platform to transform biomass waste into carbon-negative, cost-competitive oil feedstocks for advanced fuels
  • Oslo, Norway-based OTee, an automation machinery manufacturer
  • Houston-based Resollant, which is working to produce battery-grade graphite and ultra-low-cost hydrogen
  • Tulsa-based RyuGen Energy Solutions Inc., which works to turn underused commercial power into distributed AI infrastructure
  • Berkeley-based Sunchem, which provides precision separation of critical metals from sources including e-waste, evaporator scrap, solar panels, and mining ores and concentrates

Twenty-two other startups will participate in the startup showcase. See the full list here.

Greentown Climatetech Summit — Sept. 16 at the Continental Club

Ten Greentown startups will compete for $25,000 in prizes at Greentown Climatetech Summit's signature pitch event. Judges include Dave Dreessen, of Chevron Technology Ventures’ Future Energy Fund, and Jon Greene, of New Climate Ventures. Here's who's pitching:

  • Houston-based AMPeers, which manufactures high-temperature superconducting wire for high-power electrification infrastructure
  • Detroit-based AmHyTech, which enables ambient-condition liquid ammonia handling for fertilizer and fuel applications
  • Houston- and Zurich-based Biosimo, which converts biomass-based ethanol into lower-carbon acetic acid and acetyls
  • Houston-based Capwell Services Inc., which captures methane from low-flow oil and gas vents and returns it to market
  • Cleveland- and Ghana-based Cocoa Potash, which extracts potassium carbonate and fertilizer from cocoa, coconut, and palm-nut waste
  • Houston-based Solidec, which electrolyzes air, water, and electricity into onsite hydrogen peroxide.
  • Houston-based Focis AI, which converts industrial laser scans into a queryable digital twin of refineries and plants
  • Calgary-based Kanin Energy, which develops and finances waste heat to power projects for industrial clients
  • San Francisco-based FelixFusion, which models grid connection points so developers can validate interconnection in minutes
  • Houston-based Pike Robotics, which deploys its Wall-Eye robot to inspect hazardous tanks without taking assets offline

TEX-E Student Innovators will also pitch earlier in the day-long event, and an additional five Greentown startups will compete for $1,000 during the Lightning Pitch Competition. Find more information here.

Rice Alliance Energy Tech Venture Forum — Sept. 17 at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business

Houston-based companies Aquanta Vision, Capwell Services and Deep Anchor Solutions will be joined by startups from around the world to compete to be named one of the 10 Most Promising Companies at the 23rd Energy Tech Venture Forum. Additional companies will participate in office hours.

See the full list of nearly 50 companies pitching here.

Halliburton Labs Pitch Day — Sept. 18 at the Ion

Halliburton Labs Pitch Day brings together a curated group of early‑stage energy technology investors and 16 participating companies. The event is invitation‑only. Here's who's pitching:

  • Australia-based Aquafortus, which has developed a non-thermal liquid to liquid desalination technology for resource recovery from wastewater brine
  • Calgary-based Ayrton Energy, which has developed a proprietary technology that enables hydrogen to be stored within an organic liquid, which can be handled and transported like gasoline
  • Illinois-based Cache Energy, which is developing electrified heat and long-term energy storage
  • New York-based Cella, which is working to advance subsurface mineralization of CO2
  • Miami-based Chemergy, which has developed a patented process to convert wet organic and plastic wastes into green hydrogen
  • Tennessee-based Enexor BioEnergy, which is developing on-site waste-to-bioenergy conversion systems
  • Reno-based Espiku, which focuses on water and minerals recovery from industrially produced water
  • UK-based LiNa Energy, which is developing low-cost, solid-state sodium battery technology
  • Michigan-based Marel Power Solutions, which is developing advanced cooling technology to redefine power-stacks
  • California-based Mitico, which is developing technology to collect and purify carbon dioxide at the source, post-combustion, before it enters the atmosphere
  • Singapore-based Nandina REM, which turns end-of-life assets into new, reliable, high-performance carbon fiber materials for the aviation, aerospace and defense industries
  • California-based Noon Energy, which is developing a 100-plus-hour ultra-long-duration battery storage
  • Silicon Valley-based Proof Energy, which is commercializing next-generation metallic solid oxide fuel cell (M-SOFC) technology.
  • Berkeley-based Sunchem, which provides precision separation of critical metals from sources including e-waste, evaporator scrap, solar panels, and mining ores and concentrates
  • Singapore-based Sungreen, an advanced materials company pioneering nanotechnology-based coatings for high-efficiency, low-cost electrodes
  • Minneapolis-based Syncris, which is developing next-generation modular power systems designed for the most demanding environments
Read more about Houston Energy and Climate Week and its programming in Energy Capital's event preview.

KBR's Mission Technology Solutions spinoff awarded $1.1B NOAA contract

A Big Deal

Amid a major spinoff, Houston-based KBR's Mission Technology Solutions business has been awarded a five-year contract for up to $1.1 billion from NOAA’s National Weather Service to help predict and combat extreme weather conditions.

Under the follow-on Commercial Data Program National Mesonet Program (CDP NMP) contract, KBR will provide weather and observational data from commercial stations, university and research campuses, and other non-federal providers nationwide. The information collected will assist in predicting severe temperatures and high-impact weather conditions like extreme storms.

"This award underscores KBR's proven track record of delivering vital data that strengthens national forecasting capabilities," Todd May, KBR’s senior vice president of Mission Technology Solutions, said in a news release.

According to a separate release from NOAA, the contract expands upon KBR's existing relationship with the agency. KBR will work with about 70 private industry partners on services such as data recording, collection, aggregation and processing, and will lead the CDP NMP's "network of networks."

“NOAA gathers environmental information from a wide variety of sources, and a growing list of private industry partners have joined our agency to collect this vital data,” Ken Graham, director of NOAA’s National Weather Service, said in the release. “This agreement streamlines the process that turns raw data into the gold-standard forecasts that Americans depend on.”

KBR will utilize its Speed to Mission ImpactSM technology for the project to supply data from across regions, measurement types, and system configurations. Both KBR and NOAA say the expanded data collection contract will help the agency create more accurate and timely forecasts, particularly for severe weather and extreme events, while also creating a path for new weather-observation technologies.

KBR has supported the CDP NMP for more than nine years. The program will be managed in Greenbelt, Maryland.

"We're driving expanded integration of commercial sensor and data sources into this platform and are honored to know our work helps forecasters give their communities earlier warnings and more time to prepare for dangerous weather,” May added in a release.

KBR’s Mission Technology Solutions business will be rebranded as Trinzic after its planned spin-off, the company announced last month. The spin-off is expected to close in January 2027.

Trinzic will work as an independent, publicly traded company focused on technology and engineering services for the space and national security sector. KBR will remain a separate publicly traded company that will focus on sustainable technology and services to support the energy transition.

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This article originally appeared on InnovationMap.com.

Houston researchers map data center growth, trends in new interactive platform

data center development

Have you ever wondered why data centers are located where they are?

Energy experts at Rice University’s Center for Energy Studies (CES) have developed a tool to help answer that question.

Rice researchers at the CES, part of Rice’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, have created an interactive map to track data center growth and energy infrastructure in the United States.

Kenneth B. Medlock III, Miaomiao Rimmer, Anmol Mital and Beck Edwards developed the tool, known as the U.S. Data Centers and Infrastructure map. It aims to provide a comprehensive view of the factors shaping where data centers are located, from power and water costs to infrastructure, public policy and local sentiment.

“The map lets you see why data centers are being built where they are by connecting the dots between infrastructure, power costs, water availability, public policy and public sentiment across different regions,” Medlock, senior director at CES, said in a news release. “You can zoom out and look at the whole U.S. to easily realize why data centers locations are being chosen—the price of power and water matters.”

The tool maps information on data center locations against other factors like energy, water, economics and politics. It also shows existing infrastructure in the area, including electric transmission lines, power plants, and fiber-optic networks, and provides information on water stress, electricity prices and natural gas prices.

According to Rice, the map will be updated in real time and currently includes information on existing data centers and proposed data centers.

Additionally, the map provides county-level analyses of news coverage and media to explore local attitudes towards the development of data centers in communities. Users can also explore political and demographic information.

According to the Pew Research Center, most data centers that are being built will appear in rural areas, with Virginia, Texas and Georgia leading the way in the number of planned facilities. Pew’s 2026 findings also noted that 38 percent of Americans live within 5 miles of at least one operational data center.

Meanwhile, Houston and Texas are poised for continued data center growth. Other reports predict that Houston’s data center capacity could more than double by 2028. Texas is home to an estimated 400-plus data centers, according to commercial real estate services provider CBRE.

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