This Insights episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast examines the rapidly growing power demands in the Permian basin region and the implications for operators, utilities, and adjacent industries.

OGJ Editor-in-Chief Chris Smith interviews Will Kernan, Power Solutions Strategy Manager for Caterpillar Oil & Gas, on why electricity demand has surged by multiple gigawatts since 2021 and why traditional reliance on the grid is no longer sufficient to ensure timely project development and stable operations.

Kernan outlines how accelerating electricity demand from both oil and gas operations and new industrial entrants—particularly data centers—has strained transmission capacity, driving greater interest in on-site natural-gas-fired generation and microgrid models.

The episode closes with a look at major grid-expansion proposals under consideration in Texas, their long lead-times, and how distributed generation, waste-gas utilization, and field-scale microgrids will shape a more flexible and resilient power ecosystem for the Permian in the years ahead.

In this episode of the Oil & Gas Journal ReEnterprised podcast, OGJ managing editor Mikaila Adams sits down with Andrew Stakelum, an energy disputes partner at King & Spalding LLP, to unpack oil and gas decommissioning from a big picture standpoint.

Wondering what happens when an operator goes bankrupt? Or when decades-old wells still need to be plugged? Stakelum explains why decommissioning is a business and regulatory puzzle shaped by bankruptcy law, fragmented oversight, and shifting federal rules.

From 'boomerang liability' to the ripple effects of financial assurance requirements, the conversation notes how operators, regulators, and sureties are all recalibrating in real time.

Andrew Stakelum is an energy disputes partner in King & Spalding’s Houston office. His focus on the energy industry includes the oil and gas, renewables, and refining sectors. A key aspect of Andrew’s energy practice involves helping clients navigate the highly regulated environments in which they operate.

Stakelum holds a J.D., cum laude, from Tulane University Law School; and a B.B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia.

In this episode of Oil & Gas Journal’s ReEnterprised podcast, Alex Procyk, Upstream Editor, talks with Allen Sinor, Geothermal Sector Council Manager for The Competency Alliance, about effective geothermal design and drilling for electricity and district heating.