Williams Cos.—electricity demand driving natural gas growth

Is natural gas really the bridge fuel the world needs?

 

Environmentalists and proponents of going all green with solar and wind power don’t want to hear what Williams President and CEO Alan Armstrong said during the company’s second quarter 2023 earnings webcast.

“Simply put, you cannot implement and accelerate wind, solar and large-scale electrification without having natural gas as a reliable, complementary partner to these big system changes,” Armstrong told Wall Street analysts.

He aptly pointed out that despite the continue growth os solar and wind capacity across the U.S., the country still saw record natural gas power demand in July.

“If we truly want to meet our country’s growing power demand for things like data centers and electric vehicles and accelerate wind and solar power generation, we must continue increasing natural gas infrastructure capacity.”

Of course, he believes the Tulsa-based company he leads is well positioned to meet those energy needs, both current and future and at the same time, moving toward climate goals laid out in the Williams Sustainability Report.

“As we continue expanding to serve growing markets, we’re also investing in a multi-year modernization program of our large-scale transmission systems, which will reduce emissions and increase earnings. Our recently issued Sustainability Report details this progress as well as ongoing efforts to support communities, environmental stewardship and workforce development and diversity.”