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CenterPoint names 40-year industry veteran as exec for emergency response

onboarding

Don Daigler will be tasked to lead CenterPoint Energy's yearly work in preparation for, response to and recovery from all emergencies, which includes both natural disasters and man-made events. Photo via CenterPoint Energy/LinkedIn

CenterPoint Energy announced the hiring of industry veteran Don Daigler as the new senior vice president of CenterPoint’s Emergency Preparedness and Response.

Daigler will be tasked to lead the company’s yearly work in preparation for, response to and recovery from all emergencies, which includes both natural disasters and man-made events. Daigler and his team will coordinate with all public safety partners.

“I’m pleased to join CenterPoint Energy and lead its Emergency Preparedness and Response team to transform how we prepare, mitigate and respond to the impacts of hurricanes, extreme weather and other emergencies,” Daigler says in a news release. ”The year-round work of our team will help position CenterPoint to deliver the service our customers expect and deserve before, during and after emergencies when the need is greatest.”

He brings over 40 years of experience across private and public sectors in emergency management, and national security and business resiliency. Daigler most recently was the CEO and founder of Resilience Advisory Services, which specialized in advancing resilience efforts across critical infrastructure sectors. He also served as director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Response Planning Division and chief of FEMA’s Tactical Incident Support Branch. Daigler also had leadership roles for the Environmental Protection Agency , National Nuclear Security Administration, and Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Company.

This leadership position “underscores CenterPoint’s commitment to improving its emergency response and coordination following Hurricane Beryl, and represents completing another of the more than 40 commitments CenterPoint made as part of the Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative (GHRI) in August,” according to CenterPoint. CenterPoint completed 41 of the 42 overall commitments. The last commitment is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.

“After Hurricane Beryl, we heard loud and clear the calls to improve our preparedness for storms and other emergencies,” President and CEO of CenterPoint Energy Jason Wells adds. “Don will play a leading role in enhancing these operations ahead of the 2025 hurricane season and making CenterPoint a model for other utilities in emergency management and preparedness. His hiring underscores our commitment to better serve our customers in the energy capital of the world and building the most resilient coastal grid in the country.”

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Jenny Speck joined Vinson & Elkins as a Houston-based partner in its Energy Transition and Tax Practices. Photo via velaw.com

Law firm expands energy transition-focused, Houston-based team

new hire

An energy transition-focused legal team has on boarded its newest member.

Jenny Speck joined Vinson & Elkins as a Houston-based partner in its Energy Transition and Tax Practices. According to V&E, she will advise clients on energy transition tax incentives. Her experience includes working on renewable projects from onshore and offshore wind, solar, combined heat and power to biogas property, carbon capture, hydrogen, and more.

“Jenny has a commercial sensibility that our clients will value. She knows how to get deals done and is adept at calibrating tax advice to a company’s strategic objectives,” Vinson & Elkins Partner Sean Moran, one of the leaders of the firm’s Energy Transition Practice, says in a news release. “She is another phenomenal addition to our Renewable Energy and Tax Practices, which are booming as the Inflation Reduction Act continues to drive unprecedented investment and development in renewable energy.”

Joining V&E from Bracewell, Speck previously served as the senior manager of tax and regulatory compliance at Navigator CO2 Ventures LLC and also worked in the National Tax practice of Deloitte Tax LLP in Washington, D.C. She earned her undergraduate degree from Northeastern State University and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Tulsa College of Law. She's been ranked by Legal 500 U.S. and included in the Lawdragon 500 Leading US Energy Lawyers guide for “Energy Transition Incentives.”

“I have worked across from Vinson & Elkins on transactions and have seen the depth of their experience, along with the efficiency and camaraderie they bring to projects,” Speck adds. “I look forward to joining my new colleagues and strengthening their tax and energy powerhouse.”

She will work with partners Moran and Lauren Collins, who joined V&E along with four renewable energy and tax lawyers in 2021, as well as Jorge Medina, who was on boarded to the team earlier this year.

Stafford-based Microvast named Yaser Ali as CFO. Photo via LinkedIn

Houston area battery company names new C-level leader

new hire

Houston-based battery technology innovation company, Microvast Holdings, announced the appointment of Yaser Ali as CFO. This is part of Microvast's efforts to strengthen its executive leadership team.

Ali most recently served as CFO of Vision Technologies since August 2022. He also previously held leadership finance roles at companies such as BayWa-R.E Solar and GreenFox Services. He was also a Regional Finance Controller at Amazon.

“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Chief Financial Officer at Microvast,” Ali said on his LinkedIn. ”Renowned for its cutting-edge cell technology and vertical integration capabilities, Microvast covers core battery chemistry to modules and packs, serving markets such as electric vehicles, energy storage, and battery components.”

Microvast considers itself a leader in the innovation and technology of lithium-ion batteries through the design, development, and manufacture of premier battery cells, modules, and packs for transportation, heavy equipment, and utility-scale energy storage systems.

The Staffford-based Microvast has also recently drawn $12 million from a $25 million secured debt facility provided by the company's founder, chairman, and CEO Yang Wu. The move helps streamline operations, including workforce reductions and consolidations within its U.S. battery division.

Recently, Microvast celebrated four years supplying its high-performance battery packs to eversum mobility solutions GmbH ("eVersum”), which helps support the company’s goals of electrification of next-generation autonomous eShuttle buses from eVersum. The batteries helped enhance “the accessibility and convenience of eShuttle buses while maintaining high performance and efficiency” according to a news release.

Microvast, which is headquartered just southwest of Houston in Stafford, has a market capitalization of $125.16 million, according to InvestingPro.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges announced infrastructure lawyer Jacqui Bogucki has returned to the firm. Photo via weil.com

Global law firm names partner to build growing infrastructure, energy transition business

new hire

An international law firm has named a new partner in the Houston office to help build its growing infrastructure and energy transition capabilities

Weil, Gotshal & Manges announced infrastructure lawyer Jacqui Bogucki has returned to the firm.

"Jacqui will be an extremely valuable addition to our growing Houston team,” says Weil Executive Partner Barry Wolf in a news release. “Her significant infrastructure experience – including in the digital sector – and strong relationships with leading investment professionals will help to advance our fast-growing infrastructure and energy transition capabilities, and will be an immediate value-add to our clients globally.”

She will advise private equity sponsors and strategic clients on a wide range of corporate transactions. Her focus will include infrastructure, digital, technology, energy transition, and oil and gas sectors. Previously, Bogucki was a partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions practice at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. Her previous stint at Weil was from 2014 through 2018.

“I am so pleased to have the opportunity to return to Weil, where I began my legal career,” says Bogucki in a news release. “It is an incredibly exciting time to be joining the Firm as it further builds out its infrastructure and energy transition capabilities. I look forward to reconnecting with former colleagues and leveraging my experience to provide the highest quality service to our clients.”

Since 2023, notable energy partners Omar Samji, Chris Bennett, Cody Carper, and Irina Tsveklova have joined Weil in Houston – with Steven Lorch joining in New York just last month.

Pulakesh Mukherjee, partner at Imperative Ventures, which specializes in hard tech decarbonization startups, will bring his unique experience to Halliburton Labs' network. Photo via LinkedIn

Halliburton Labs names Bay Area investor to advisory board

all aboard

Halliburton Labs has announced its newest advisory board member — a San Francisco-based venture capital investor.

Pulakesh Mukherjee, partner at Imperative Ventures, which specializes in hard tech decarbonization startups, will bring his unique experience to Halliburton Labs' network.

"We are pleased to welcome Pulakesh as we help emerging companies achieve scale and growth. Pulakesh brings strong expertise and an expansive network throughout the early-stage energy and climate tech ecosystem. We look forward to his guidance to catalyze increased collaboration among innovators, investors, and industry," Managing Director Dale Winger says in a news release.

Mukherjee, who co-founded his firm, previously worked on energy, agriculture, chemical, and industrial deals for BASF Venture Capital

Mukherjee joins Jeff Miller, Reggie DesRoches, John Grotzinger, Jennifer Holmgren, Maynard Holt, Walter Isaacson, and Dale Winger on the Advisory Board, according to Halliburton's news release.

Halliburton Labs, a wholly owned subsidiary of Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL), has supported energy tech startups since its inception in 2020. Its next pitch day is March 14 in New Orleans, which will also be streamed live.

Scott Gale, executive director of Halliburton Labs, recently joined the Houston Innovators Podcast to discuss Halliburton Labs' mission and commitment to the community.

Top Houston banker Stephen Trauber has joined publicly traded investment bank Moelis & Co. Image via Shutterstock

Firm hires top Houston-based energy banker to grow energy transition team

new hire

Houston energy dealmaker Stephen Trauber has been tapped as chairman and global head of the energy and clean technology business at publicly traded investment bank Moelis & Co.

In 2010, The Wall Street Journal called Trauber “one of the best-connected energy bankers in Houston.”

Trauber comes to New York City-based Moelis from Citi, where he recently retired as vice chairman and global co-head of natural resources and clean energy transition. Before that, he was vice chairman and global head of energy at UBS Investment Bank, where he worked with Ken Moelis, who’s now chairman and CEO of Moelis.

“The global energy ecosystem is undergoing major consolidation and change,” Trauber says in a Moelis news release. “I look forward to actively participating in its strategic evolution and working with so many of our clients that are evaluating how best to create value during this period of transformation.”

In conjunction with Trauber’s hiring, Guggenheim Securities executives Muhammad Laghari and Alexander Burpee are joining Moelis as managing directors in Houston. They’ll work with upstream and midstream oil and gas clients. Laghari and Burpee previously were colleagues of Trauber at Citi.

During his career, Trauber has advised on more than $700 billion in energy deals, including mergers, acquisitions, and IPOs. Among the industry heavyweights involved in those deals were BP, Halliburton, Kinder Morgan, Nabors, Occidental Petroleum, Schlumberger, Shell, and Weatherford International.

“Steve is a recognized leader in the industry who has played a key role in many of the energy sector’s landmark transactions,” says Navid Mahmoodzadegan, co-founder and co-president of Moelis.

Three years ago, Trauber made waves when Spring-based ExxonMobil

rejected his pitch “to commit to a target for net-zero emissions even after shareholders staged a revolt over the company’s climate policy,” Bloomberg reported at the time.

Last year, Trauber joined the board of directors of Houston-based NEXT Renewable Fuels, the board of directors of Houston-based ASEAN Energy, and the M&A and transactions advisory board of London-based professional services giant Aon.

The three new hires at Moelis follow the September 2023 launch of its Clean Technology Group. Arash Nazhad of Houston is co-leader of the group.

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Houston energy tech company breaks ground on low-cost green hydrogen pilot plant

coming soon

Houston’s Lummus Technology and Advanced Ionics have broken ground on their hydrogen pilot plant at Lummus’ R&D facility in Pasadena.

The plant will support Advanced Ionics’ cutting-edge electrolyzer technology, which aims to deliver high-efficiency hydrogen production with reduced energy requirements.

“By demonstrating Advanced Ionics’ technology at our state-of-the-art R&D facility, we are leveraging the expertise of our scientists and R&D team, plus our proven track record of developing breakthrough technologies,” Leon de Bruyn, president and CEO of Lummus, said in a news release. “This will help us accelerate commercialization of the technology and deliver scalable, cost-effective and sustainable green hydrogen solutions to our customers.”

Advanced Ionics is a Milwaukee-based low-cost green hydrogen technology provider. Its electrolyzer converts process and waste heat into green hydrogen for less than a dollar per kilogram, according to the company. The platform's users include industrial hydrogen producers looking to optimize sustainability at an affordable cost.

Lummus, a global energy technology company, will operate the Advanced Ionics electrolyzer and manage the balance of plant systems.

In 2024, Lummus and Advanced Ionics established their partnership to help advance the production of cost-effective and sustainable hydrogen technology. Lummus Venture Capital also invested an undisclosed amount into Advanced Ionics at the time.

“Our collaboration with Lummus demonstrates the power of partnerships in driving the energy transition forward,” Ignacio Bincaz, CEO of Advanced Ionics, added in the news release. “Lummus serves as a launchpad for technologies like ours, enabling us to validate performance and integration under real-world conditions. This milestone proves that green hydrogen can be practical and economically viable, and it marks another key step toward commercial deployment.”

Houston Energy Transition Initiative releases 2025 year in review

The View From HETI

The Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI) concludes another impactful year by reaffirming our commitment to positioning Houston as the global leader in the energy transition – delivering more energy with fewer emissions. HETI continues to be focused on advancing key regional priorities, driving economic development and talent recruitment.

It was a year of changes across the energy landscape, yet HETI continued to collaborate, convene, and deliver measurable progress. Below are some of the year’s key highlights:

Sharing Members’ Impact on Decarbonization and Emissions Reductions

HETI released a report detailing members’ low-carbon initiatives and commitments, showcasing industry momentum and long-term pathways to achieving the dual challenge of meeting growing global energy demand while reducing emissions. Major findings include more than $95 billion in low-carbon investments and 20% reduction in Scope 1 emissions since 2017 by HETI-affiliated companies. The report also recommends strategic pathways for continued emissions reductions.

Advancing CCUS at Commercial Scale

HETI publicly supported efforts to accelerate carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) efforts to commercial scale. Early in the year, HETI and the Houston CCS Alliance commissioned Texas A&M University’s Energy Institute and Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center to research the operational history and safety record of CCUS in the United States. In November, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency granted Texas authority to permit CCUS—a significant win that increases the region’s competitiveness in the global energy ecosystem.

Leadership in Resilient Power for Houston’s Growth

In June, HETI hosted its first Resilient Power: Fueling Houston’s Growing Economy summit, bringing together more than 100 business and civic leaders to discuss the role of resilient, reliable power in Houston’s economic development. Cross-sector leaders explored the impacts of rising power demand driven by industrial decarbonization and digitalization, and discussed the essential collaboration between the energy and tech sectors to strengthen long-term resilience through an “all of the above” approach. HETI also published a fact sheet on Houston’s resilient power access, affordability, and reliability as a resource for partners.

Showcasing Houston’s Leadership at CERAWeek 2025

HETI participated in CERAWeek 2025, elevating Houston’s energy leadership on the world stage. The HETI House activation in the Innovation Agora attracted more than 1,000 visitors and generated over 80 economic development leads. In addition, HETI partnered with Rice Alliance and TEX-E for the fourth annual Energy Ventures Pitch Competition at CERAWeek, bringing together students, startups and energy leaders to advance innovation and investment.

Scaling Houston’s Innovation Ecosystem

As Houston’s energy innovation ecosystem continues to grow, HETI plays an important role in shaping its future. During its second year, Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week attracted more than 3,900 attendees from local and global startups, industry leaders, and investors—further solidifying Houston’s status as the world’s leading energy innovation hub.

Strengthening Regional Competitiveness

To advance technology commercialization and support the Gulf Coast’s continued energy competitiveness, HETI hosted its second annual Gulf Coast National Labs Workshop. This year’s event convened more than 120 leaders representing six national laboratories, industry partners, academia, and government stakeholders to accelerate collaboration around the region’s greatest energy and chemical challenges.

HETI’s progress this year is significant, but the work ahead is even more critical. As we move into the new year, HETI remains steadfast in its commitment to convening industry leaders, informing policy, supporting innovation, and driving economic growth across the region. This work strengthens Houston’s core energy economy and accelerates the emerging sectors that will ensure Houston continues to lead the world in energy.

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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.

Chevron CEO touts biofuels as part of its renewable energy efforts

Betting on biofuels

As Chevron Chairman and CEO Mike Wirth surveys the renewable energy landscape, he sees the most potential in biofuels.

At a recent WSJ CEO Council event, Wirth put a particular emphasis on biofuels—the most established form of renewable energy—among the mix of low-carbon energy sources. According to Biofuels International, Chevron operates nine biorefineries around the world.

Biofuels are made from fats and oils, such as canola oil, soybean oil and used cooking oil.

At Chevron’s renewable diesel plant in Geismar, Louisiana, a recent expansion boosted annual production by 278 percent — from 90 million gallons to 340 million gallons. To drive innovation in the low-carbon-fuels sector, Chevron opened a technology center this summer at its renewable energy campus in Ames, Iowa.

Across the board, Chevron has earmarked $8 billion to advance its low-carbon business by 2028.

In addition to biofuels, Chevron’s low-carbon strategy includes hydrogen, although Wirth said hydrogen “is proving to be very difficult” because “you’re fighting the laws of thermodynamics.”

Nonetheless, Chevron is heavily invested in the hydrogen market:

As for geothermal energy, Wirth said it shows “some real promise.” Chevron’s plans for this segment of the renewable energy industry include a 20-megawatt geothermal pilot project in Northern California, according to the California Community Choice Association. The project is part of an initiative that aims to eventually produce 600 megawatts of geothermal energy.

What about solar and wind power?

“We start with things where we have some reason to believe we can create shareholder value, where we’ve got skills and competency, so we didn’t go into wind or solar because we’re not a turbine manufacturer installing wind and solar,” he said in remarks reported by The Wall Street Journal.

In a September interview with The New York Times, Wirth touched on Chevron’s green energy capabilities.

“We are investing in new technologies, like hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, lithium and renewable fuels,” Wirth said. “They are growing fast but off a very small base. We need to do things that meet demand as it exists and then evolve as demand evolves.”

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