Artificial intelligence is reshaping the global economy, and nowhere is its impact more visible than in the explosive growth of hyperscale data centers across Texas and the United States. These facilities demand unprecedented levels of reliable power and fuel — creating a new era of infrastructure challenges and opportunities for pipeline operators.

This panel brings together leaders from major pipeline companies to explore how America’s energy corridors must evolve to support AI-driven growth. They’ll discuss the realities of delivering large-scale natural gas; the constraints of existing midstream networks; and the massive build‑out required to meet the compute loads coming over the next decade.
Topics include:

• The surge in AI data center development in Texas and key U.S. regions
• Pipeline capacity, reliability, and right‑of‑way challenges
• How midstream companies are planning for 24/7 high‑density power demand
• The role of natural gas and future fuels in AI energy strategy
• Regulatory, environmental, and community considerations
• Opportunities for collaboration between data center developers, utilities, and pipeline operators

Attendees will gain a clear understanding of what it will take — technically, commercially, and operationally — to fuel the AI revolution and how pipeline companies are positioning themselves at the center of America’s next major infrastructure wave.
 

The rapid growth of data centers and other large-load customers is creating new opportunities to support investment in regional energy infrastructure. As major sources of growing power demand, data center projects can provide the scale and long-term commitments needed to advance natural gas transmission, distribution, generation, and related infrastructure, creating benefits that extend beyond the individual project to utilities, power generators, industrial customers, and surrounding communities. Potential development models range from privately developed projects to emerging opportunities to leverage federal lands made available by the Department of Energy and Department of War for large-scale energy and data center development. This panel will explore how these projects can serve as catalysts for broader regional infrastructure investment, the commercial and regulatory structures needed to move them forward, and opportunities to strengthen energy reliability and support economic growth well beyond the needs of a single project.

Data centers are expanding faster than the energy system can keep up, and natural gas utilities are being pulled into the spotlight. Developers chasing faster time‑to‑power increasingly look to onsite generation fueled by natural gas — but delivering service to these massive loads is anything but routine. What appears to be a straightforward interconnection request quickly becomes a maze of infrastructure constraints, regulatory scrutiny, community resistance, and commercial risk.
This session confronts the six major hurdles standing between utilities and successful large‑load data center service: Pipeline Limitations, Public Perception, Regulatory Constraints, Permitting Approvals, Capital Requirements, and Commercial Structuring. Panelists will draw on real‑world lessons from LDCs across the country, exploring how utilities can accelerate project timelines through earlier engagement, smarter planning, and disciplined commercial frameworks — all while protecting existing retail customers from speculative investment risk.
Attendees will gain a clear, practical understanding of how natural gas utilities are adapting to support explosive data center growth responsibly, balancing economic development with reliability, affordability, and equitable cost allocation.
As data center developers push for rapid deployment and resilient energy solutions, natural gas remains a critical component of onsite generation strategies. Yet serving these large‑load customers requires utilities to navigate a complex set of interconnected challenges:

• Pipeline Limitations — Upstream transportation and local distribution capacity often require long‑lead planning and tight coordination with interstate pipelines.
• Public Perception — Communities increasingly scrutinize data center projects for land use, infrastructure impacts, environmental concerns, and perceived local benefits.
• Regulatory Constraints — Utilities must uphold cost‑allocation principles, reliability obligations, and regulatory protections for existing customers while enabling economic development.
• Permitting Approvals — Multi‑agency permitting introduces schedule risk that must be managed early and transparently.
• Capital Requirements — Large‑load projects may require significant investment in pipelines, gate stations, compression, pressure upgrades, and metering facilities.
• Commercial Structuring — Successful projects depend on agreements that address load uncertainty, phased development, contract terms, creditworthiness, and infrastructure cost recovery.

Developers share insider perspectives on:

•  Forecast Demand vs Projects: Real vs. Speculation 
• Importance of Developer pedigree
• Data Centers: Power is the gating item. But power needs gas
• Strategy Concepts: Speed to power, Behind the meter
• Strategy Concepts: Hyperscalers Partnering for projects
• Gas procurement: Intrastate, Interstate, Gas Marketers, New Pipeline, Firm Transport, all of the above
• Public & Community Hurdles: Electric, water, siting, emissions, taxes
• Regulatory & Policy Hurdles
• and more...

 

How can data centers secure pipeline-quality natural gas without waiting on multi-year pipeline projects? This session highlights state-of-the-art mobile gas delivery and virtual pipeline infrastructure engineered to solve critical power constraints.

Attendees will learn how to:

• Expand fuel access for behind-the-meter power generation in remote or capacity-constrained markets.
• Balance operational performance, safety, and scalability with custom-engineered CNG/LNG solutions.
• Build flexible energy strategies that protect against grid instability and supply disruptions.

Please join our hosts, the Corporate Sponsors, at a cocktail reception in your honor. Don't make your dinner plans too early as hors d'oeuvres and an open bar will be the highlight of this extremely well attended session!