Letter from Houston: Energy hotspot hopes for a ‘bronze lining’
The US oil capital may be battling both the oil price crash and a Covid-19 resurgence, but there are still reasons to be optimistic
Houston is a hotspot in more ways than one. As well as its sultry summers, it also places energy front and centre in its corporate and civic life and boasts the US’ largest concentration of energy jobs. But, during the coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic recession, Houston—and Texas more widely—have witnessed energy job furloughs and losses by the thousands, as well as oil and gas producers slashing budgets and, in the worst cases, filing for bankruptcy. Texas is also reporting one of fastest-growing of the country's resurgent Covid-19 outbreaks. Slimmed down The impact of the collapse in oil prices on Texas-based E&P firms, while significant, is perhaps not as harsh as it might
Also in this section
18 February 2026
With Texas LNG approaching financial close, Alaska LNG advancing towards a phased buildout and Magnolia LNG positioned for future optionality, Glenfarne CEO Brendan Duval says the coming year will demonstrate how the company’s more focused, owner-operator approach is reshaping LNG infrastructure development in the North America
18 February 2026
The global gas industry is no longer on the backfoot, hesitantly justifying the value of its product, but has greater confidence in gas remaining a core part of the global energy mix for decades
18 February 2026
With marketable supply unlikely to grow significantly and limited scope for pipeline imports, Brazil is expected to continue relying on LNG to cover supply shortfalls, Ieda Gomes, senior adviser of Brazilian thinktank FGV Energia,
tells Petroleum Economist
17 February 2026
The 25th WPC Energy Congress, taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 26–30 April 2026, will bring together leaders from the political, industrial, financial and technology sectors under the unifying theme “Pathways to an Energy Future for All”
