ribbon cutting

University of Houston opens new hydrocarbon center

UH cut the ribbon on a new hub for hydrocarbon exploration. Photo courtesy of UH

The University of Houston has officially opened the doors of a new hub for hydrocarbon exploration.

UH Energy recently unveiled its UH-DGH Center for Hydrocarbon Exploration, which is a partnership between the University of Houston and the technical arm of India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Directorate General of Hydrocarbons, or DGH. The collaboration was announced in February.

The center will serve as a data center focused on India’s offshore basins, and its geoscience data to investigate production data and exploration.

"We have been thinking about this for multiple years, about how to get all this fantastic data that is there in the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons of India, use the repository of information that we have got and be able to showcase it to people in the United States where they've got the approach to go in and find oil and gas and other natural resources in ways that are perhaps truly unique and Texan in origin,” says Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorthy, vice president of energy and innovation at UH during the event.

The event featured UH dignitaries, alum, and subject-matter experts like Rob Stewart, professor of geophysics, and David Hume, business development specialist and geoscience specialist, which included in-depth analysis of India basins that focused on geological and geophysical locations, physiographical and tectonic settings, the role of hydrocarbon elements, and other areas of interest.

The center is part of a five-year agreement to help generate reliable information on the energy industry with seismic, well, reservoir and production data being at the forefront.

“UH and India have been able to come together and bring this to reality, for us this is very inspirational,” says Pankaj Jain, Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India. “We think that we are actually planting a seed for something very, very good because the multiplier effects of this are going to be incredible.”

Strategically located in Houston, which many consider an “energy capital,” Jain is excited for a set of “fresh eyes” to look at the data.

“If you’re here [in Houston], you’re at the nucleus from where everything will evolve,” Jain says to the University of Houston.

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A View From HETI

Vaulted Deep is planning a North American buildout. Photo via vaulteddeep.com

Houston-based Vaulted Deep, a waste management and carbon removal company, has announced a major $35 million debt facility from Italian investment bank Mediobanca to support its national expansion.

U.K.-based market energy solutions CFP Energy arranged the deal, which is “the largest publicly disclosed U.S. commercial debt deal in durable carbon removal to be secured by long-term purchase contracts,” according to a news release from the companies.

The financing will support new waste disposal sites for Vaulted Deep and advancements of the company’s AI-enabled site development platform. The platform helps identify locations, navigate permitting and optimize injection operations. When candidates are looking for sites, the platform will pull from regulatory, geology and waste-supply data to assist, which Vaulted Deep says will help streamline the permitting process. After the site is operating, the platform helps control algorithms to maximize safe disposal capacity and monitor the process along the way.

"Waste operators across the country need new options as traditional disposal options become limited,” Julia Reichelstein, CEO and co-founder of Vaulted Deep, said in the release. “This financing lets us take on more projects and invest in the tools that help us evaluate and develop new sites faster. This is a meaningful milestone for Vaulted as we move into the next phase of building infrastructure at a much larger scale."

The deal is supported by Vaulted Deep's long-term waste service and carbon removal purchase contracts. The company says it delivered more than 20,000 tons of carbon removal to buyers in the first half of 2026, which is more than it delivered in all of 2025.

"By facilitating these types of transactions, we connect institutional capital with innovative climate technologies, helping accelerate the deployment of high-integrity carbon removal solutions,” Tyler Manchester, head of voluntary carbon for CFP Energy, added in the release. “It reflects growing investor confidence in these solutions, driven by rising demand from corporate buyers seeking permanent pathways to support net-zero commitments and long-term climate strategies."

Beyond the facility, Vaulted Deep has secured $48 million in equity financing in addition to its $8 million from the XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition, backed by Elon Musk’s charitable organization, The Musk Foundation.

The company's well injection technology is used to store organic waste deep underground in stable geologic formations. In 2025, it inked a 12-year deal with Microsoft to remove up to 4.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the environment.

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