As part of the ongoing Power Generation series, Energy Workforce recently hosted the “Power Markets and Oil & Gas, An Economic and Strategic Interplay” program, convening over a dozen member companies for two full days to bridge the gap between the electricity sector and the hydrocarbon value chain. Facilitated by Dan Romito of Pickering Energy Partners and held at SLB, the course enabled participants to understand how the U.S. grid works, why rising electricity demand matters for natural gas, and the role of policy in shaping energy markets.
As electricity demand accelerates with AI, data centers, manufacturing reshoring, and LNG, Energy Workforce is creating opportunities for its members to convene around power generation. With a number of energy technology companies involved in the power generation value chain, this program contributes to a broader understanding of the grid, energy markets, and related policy, which reinforces the sector’s role in growing U.S. energy supplies. Participants ranged from leaders in the subject matter at their respective companies to those who sought market insights to bring back to their teams.
Throughout his presentation and discussions, Romito emphasized key points to make the case for why U.S. natural gas is critical to today’s power generation structure and how that plays into future demands from big tech. He discussed:
How the U.S. has brought down emissions over several decades by switching to natural gas and maintaining affordability and reliability in its power generation
- The role of natural gas in meeting future U.S. and international energy demand
- Scale and speed at which hyperscalers and data centers are being constructed
- Need for long-term and predictable permitting reform for a significant U.S. infrastructure build-out
- How “big tech” companies are weighing global emissions-related policies and their needs for consistent and affordable power
Participants of the course said, “I think it is important for the oil and gas industry to understand the power markets due to the interplay between the two. The industry provides the energy needed to supply the power, and there could be more opportunities for direct interaction.”
If you are interested in learning more about Energy Workforce’s Power Generation series, please reach out to VP Energy Policy Maria Suarez-Simmons. The conversation will continue during the Energy Summit 2025 with additional panels and discussions on power markets.
Maria Suarez-Simmons, VP Energy Policy, writes about industry-specific policies for the Energy Workforce & Technology Council. Click here to subscribe to the Energy Workforce newsletter, which highlights sector-specific issues, best practices, activities and more.
