Williams Companies' Alan Armstrong: Natural gas, infrastructure, and Oklahoma can lead U.S. energy future

Armstrong reflects on Oklahoma roots and company legacy

As he transitions into his new role as chairman of the Williams Companies, Alan Armstrong is emphasizing both the company’s deep Oklahoma roots and its growing national role in meeting future energy demands.

“We are, today, I think, the largest public company in Oklahoma,” Armstrong said in an interview with Scott Mitchell. “A lot of the culture that we have and the focus we have on making Tulsa home really started with Joe and John Williams.”

Armstrong credited John Williams with setting a long-term vision that prioritized not only business success but community impact. “He really set a culture that was focused not just on being a great company, but also being a great corporate citizen,” he said.

Pipeline politics in the Northeast create gridlock

While Williams has long been based in Oklahoma, Armstrong said the company is often better known in other parts of the country, especially in states where energy infrastructure is controversial.

“We were trying to gain support for the Constitution pipeline, which primarily would help New England states and reduce their dependence on fuel oil and imported LNG,” he said. “But the governor of Massachusetts told me, ‘We don’t really want your natural gas… we want to invest in higher technology, resources for our future.’”

RELATED: Williams Companies chairman says pipeline projects critical to lowering energy costs in U.S. markets

Armstrong said that the same region is now calling for help. “I got a call from the governor of Connecticut... and [they] wanted to know why we’re unwilling to build pipeline capacity into the New England states,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong added that trucking LNG into New York City has become the norm, which he called “pretty remarkable.” Armstrong said roughly 250 to 500 trucks operate during winter just to deliver gas across bridges into the metro area. “There’s politics, and then there’s real physics,” he said. “And the real physics are hard to hide from.”

Data centers pushing demand for faster energy solutions

Armstrong said the demand from data centers is skyrocketing and will double by 2030. “That’s the entire metro area of Philadelphia, Armstrong said. "We're going to have multiple sites that are that scale."

To meet that need, Williams is moving quickly to deploy Caterpillar and Siemens gas turbine units in Ohio and elsewhere.

“We're doing several, 200 to 400 megawatt facilities that were placing those kinds of turbines and gas-fired generation facilities,” Armstrong said. “If you have multiple units, you actually can improve the reliability.”

Armstrong said speed is now the most important factor, alongside reliability.

Grassroots advocacy and local impact

To combat infrastructure opposition, Armstrong said Williams has changed how it approaches community and political challenges.

“We're a company full of engineers. And so, you know, we always solve things, from a technical perspective,” Armstrong said. “We weren’t very skilled at solving political problems.”

Now, the company engages directly with unions, community members, and conservation groups.

“We've encouraged them to bring their own voice to these issues because it's jobs that they're having stolen from them,” Armstrong said. “They get that if you constrain power, the price goes up.”

Armstrong also emphasized economic development. “In Pennsylvania, this might mean your kids stay home," Armstrong said. "The ad valorem taxes that we pay that the industry paid is going to go directly into your school district.”

Environmentally, Armstrong said Williams is investing in restoration efforts alongside pipeline development.

Oklahoma’s strategy and energy future

Armstrong praised Governor Kevin Stitt’s “all of the above” energy strategy and called out misinformation campaigns that pit energy sources against each other.

“Natural gas, coupled with renewables, can meet the challenge,” Armstrong said. “But poor decisions on infrastructure are what’s driving high prices, not gas costs.”

Armstrong said Oklahoma can serve as a model. “If you gave everybody all the power they needed right now, you’d still need more in 24 hours,” he said.

The full interview with Alan Armstrong may be found at the top of this article.