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New power infrastructure firm forms, appoints Houston-based execs

movers and shakers

Four Houston energy execs have been appointed to a newly formed firm. Photo via Getty Images

A leading middle market infrastructure firm has formed a new entity to oversee its power infrastructure portfolio.

ArcLight Capital Partners announced that it has formed Alpha Generation to provide strategic management and oversight of its power infrastructure portfolio. ArcLight and AlphaGen will focus on secure, safe, and sustainable access to power to help meet the growing infrastructure needs created by electrification.

The power infrastructure portfolio will be managed by AlphaGen and includes low-cost, low-carbon strategically located assets that provide critical supply to key demand centers, including throughout the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. The portfolio will represent a competitive fleet and one of the nation's largest natural gas-fired power portfolio.

AlphaGen also announces its executive leadership team that features four Houstonians in prominent roles. Mary Anne Brelinsky has been named as president and chief commercial officer, Stacey Peterson as CFO, Nick Rahn as COO, and Jason Buchman will serve as general counsel.

Brelinsky is in charge of leading the commercial-facing aspects of AlphaGen. She served as president of EDF Energy North America, which she helped grow to become the third largest energy retail business in North America. Previously, Peterson was CEO of utility-scale battery storage developer and operator, Broad Reach Power. She has 20 years of experience in power and utilities. Rahn was formerly the Senior Vice President of Asset Management at Competitive Power Ventures (CPV), was CEO of Optim Energy, and Vice President of Resource Development, Environmental and Construction at PacifiCorp,which is a division of Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Buchman has over 25 years of experience, as he has held senior and executive roles at public and private companies specializing in wholesale power generation, oilfield and analytical services, and infrastructure development.

Additional non-local appointments include: Curt Morgan as CEO and Chairman, effective May 1, 2024; Mark Sudbey will serve as interim CEO until May; and Michael Bruneau as executive vice president of corporate development and strategy.

"AlphaGen has brought together a highly accomplished and experienced executive team responsible for creating a common culture and vision, capturing efficiencies, leveraging economies of scale, and driving a standard of operational excellence across ArcLight's funds' power generating portfolio," Curt Morgan, CEO and chairman of AlphaGen, says in a news release.

"We believe we are well positioned to serve the current and future needs of the portfolios' customers as the demand for safe, reliable, and dispatchable power continues to grow. We believe our power assets will continue to play a critical role in grid reliability and energy security for decades to come," he continues.

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Reliant partners to expand Texas virtual power plant and home battery use

energy incentives

Houston’s Reliant and San Francisco tech company GoodLeap are teaming up to bolster residential battery participation and accelerate the growth of NRG’s virtual power plant (VPP) network in Texas.

Through the new partnership, eligible Reliant customers can either lease a battery or enter into a power purchase agreement with GoodLeap through its GoodGrid program, which incentivises users by offering monthly performance-based rewards for contributing stored power to the grid. Through the Reliant GoodLeap VPP Battery Program, customers will start earning $40 per month in rewards from GoodLeap.

“These incentives highlight our commitment to making homeowner battery adoption more accessible, effectively offsetting the cost of the battery and making the upgrade a no-cost addition to their homes,” Dan Lotano, COO at GoodLeap, said in a news release.“We’re proud to work with NRG to unlock the next frontier in distributed energy in Texas. This marks an important step in GoodLeap reaching our nationwide goal of 1.5 GW of managed distributed energy over the next five years.”

Other features of the program include power outage plans, with battery reserves set aside for outage events. The plan also intelligently manages the battery without homeowner interaction.

The partnership comes as Reliant’s parent company, NRG, continues to scale its VPP program. Last year, NRG partnered with California-based Renew Home to distribute hundreds of thousands of VPP-enabled smart thermostats by 2035 in an effort to help households manage and lower their energy costs.

“We started building our VPP with smart thermostats across Texas, and now this partnership with GoodLeap brings home battery storage into our platform,” Mark Parsons, senior vice president and head of Texas energy at NRG, said in a the release. “Each time we add new devices, we’re enabling Texans to unlock new value from their homes, earn rewards and help build a more resilient grid for everyone. This is about giving customers the opportunity to actively participate in the energy transition and receive tangible benefits for themselves and their communities.

How Corrolytics is tackling industrial corrosion and cutting emissions

now streaming

Corrosion is not something most people think about, but for Houston's industrial backbone pipelines, refineries, chemical plants, and water infrastructure, it is a silent and costly threat. Replacing damaged steel and overusing chemicals adds hundreds of millions of tons of carbon emissions every year. Despite the scale of the problem, corrosion detection has barely changed in decades.

In a recent episode of the Energy Tech Startups Podcast, Anwar Sadek, founder and CEO of Corrolytics, explained why the traditional approach is not working and how his team is delivering real-time visibility into one of the most overlooked challenges in the energy transition.

From Lab Insight to Industrial Breakthrough

Anwar began as a researcher studying how metals degrade and how microbes accelerate corrosion. He quickly noticed a major gap. Companies could detect the presence of microorganisms, but they could not tell whether those microbes were actually causing corrosion or how quickly the damage was happening. Most tests required shipping samples to a lab and waiting months for results, long after conditions inside the asset had changed.

That gap inspired Corrolytics' breakthrough. The company developed a portable, real-time electrochemical test that measures microbial corrosion activity directly from fluid samples. No invasive probes. No complex lab work. Just the immediate data operators can act on.

“It is like switching from film to digital photography,” Anwar says. “What used to take months now takes a couple of hours.”

Why Corrosion Matters in Houston's Energy Transition

Houston's energy transition is a blend of innovation and practicality. While the world builds new low-carbon systems, the region still depends on existing industrial infrastructure. Keeping those assets safe, efficient, and emission-conscious is essential.

This is where Corrolytics fits in. Every leak prevented, every pipeline protected, and every unnecessary gallon of biocide avoided reduces emissions and improves operational safety. The company is already seeing interest across oil and gas, petrochemicals, water and wastewater treatment, HVAC, industrial cooling, and biofuels. If fluids move through metal, microbial corrosion can occur, and Corrolytics can detect it.

Because microbes evolve quickly, slow testing methods simply cannot keep up. “By the time a company gets lab results, the environment has changed completely,” Anwar explains. “You cannot manage what you cannot measure.”

A Scientist Steps Into the CEO Role

Anwar did not plan to become a CEO. But through the National Science Foundation's ICorps program, he interviewed more than 300 industry stakeholders. Over 95 percent cited microbial corrosion as a major issue with no effective tool to address it. That validation pushed him to transform his research into a product.

Since then, Corrolytics has moved from prototype to real-world pilots in Brazil and Houston, with early partners already using the technology and some preparing to invest. Along the way, Anwar learned to lead teams, speak the language of industry, and guide the company through challenges. “When things go wrong, and they do, it is the CEO's job to steady the team,” he says.

Why Houston

Relocating to Houston accelerated everything. Customers, partners, advisors, and manufacturing talent are all here. For industrial and energy tech startups, Houston offers an ecosystem built for scale.

What's Next

Corrolytics is preparing for broader pilots, commercial partnerships, and team growth as it continues its fundraising efforts. For anyone focused on asset integrity, emissions reduction, or industrial innovation, this is a company to watch.

Listen to the full conversation with Anwar Sadek on the Energy Tech Startups Podcast to learn more:

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Energy Tech Startups Podcast is hosted by Jason Ethier and Nada Ahmed. It delves into Houston's pivotal role in the energy transition, spotlighting entrepreneurs and industry leaders shaping a low-carbon future.


Investors close partial acquisition of Phillips 66 subsidiary with growing EV network

M&A activity

Energy Equation Partners, a London-based investment firm focused on clean energy companies, and New York-based Stonepeak have completed the acquisition of a 65 percent interest in JET Tankstellen Deutschland GmbH, a subsidiary of Houston oil and gas giant Phillips 66.

JET is one of the largest and most popular fuel retailers in Germany and Austria with a rapidly growing EV charging network, according to a news release. It also operates approximately 970 service stations, convenience stores and car washes.

“We are delighted to complete this acquisition and to partner with Stonepeak and Phillips 66 to take JET to the next level,” Javed Ahmed, managing partner of Energy Equation Partners, said in a news release. “This investment reflects EEP’s commitment to investing in established players in the energy sector who have the potential to make a meaningful impact on the energy transition, and we are excited to work alongside the entire JET team, including its dedicated service station operators, to realize this vision.”

The deal values JET at approximately $2.8 billion. Phillips 66 will retain a 35 percent non-operated interest in JET and received about $1.6 billion in pre-tax proceeds.

“Under Phillips 66’s ownership, JET has grown into one of the largest fuel retailers in Germany and Austria," Anthony Borreca, senior managing director and co-head of energy at Stonepeak, added in a news release. "We are excited to join forces with them, as well as Javed and the EEP team, who have long-standing experience investing in and operating retail fuel distribution and logistics globally, to support the next phase of JET’s growth.”

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