Libertad Power develops clean hydrogen capacity, facilities and solutions to accelerate decarbonization for utility and industrial customers in the western United States.
Libertad emphasizes proven technologies and collaboration with top-tier providers to reliably meet customer expectations in a large, complex and rapidly evolving regional market.
At our existing locations in New Mexico and new sites across the Southwest, Libertad leverages existing transmission assets and industrial infrastructure to control costs and reduce overall impacts.
CUSTOMERS
Libertad Power addresses customers in three basic categories: transportation providers, electrical power utilities and industrial consumers of power and/or fuel.
For transportation, we are primarily focused on decarbonizing heavy haul freight traffic between the mega-regional economies of California and Texas. Toward this end, we are collaborating with Diesel Direct and Hyundai Motor Company to establish the Southwest Clean Freight Corridor.
In electrical power generation and energy storage, we provide utilities with options to reduce GHG emissions while enhancing the reliability of the regional power system. Libertad's pioneering hydrogen power model sets a new standard for generators as utilities in the Western Interconnection add more renewable wind and solar capacity along with wider market integration.
Our industrial customers are generally seeking decarbonization solutions for large facilities and/or specific processes. Specific examples include GHG emissions-free, contingent power supply for mission-critical facilities and the production of decarbonized ammonia.
LOCATIONS
Libertad Power has two locations in New Mexico: San Juan County, where the borders of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet; and Lea County, in the heart of the Permian Basin.
Both locations offer unsurpassed renewable energy resources, significant surface and subsurface infrastructure, robust market access, well-trained workers and strong community support.
Libertad is also developing new locations in other western states.
WHY HYDROGEN?
Clean hydrogen is gaining traction as a path to reach climate goals in sectors of the economy that may be hard to decarbonize via direct electrification or other established means, including heavy haul transportation, long-term energy storage and various industrial processes.
The market for clean hydrogen is huge, with some estimates projecting $140 billion in annual revenue and support for 700,000 total jobs in the U. S. by 2030.
To help realize this great potential, major support for clean hydrogen now features prominently in state and federal incentive programs. To help draw down these public incentives, Libertad Power is participating in the Western Interstates Hydrogen Hub (WISHH).
TEAM
CONTACT
The Libertad leadership team has decades of experience across all aspects of project development, operations and management:
John M. Campbell, Managing Partner, is a consultant on energy and environmental issues, after 24 years as Vice President & Director of Environmental Programs at GE Capital, a global commercial and consumer finance business with $500 billion in assets. While at GE Capital, Jack directly participated in the development of more than 15GW of natural gas, solar and wind power generation. Before joining GE Capital, Jack held multiple positions in the federal government dealing with energy and environmental economic issues, including senior policy posts with the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, Executive Office of the President, and Department of the Interior. Jack has an MPA degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a BA degree from the University of Nebraska.
Daniel E. Klein, Managing Partner, is President of Twenty-First Strategies, with 40 years of consulting experience in energy, environmental, and economic analysis including many years as a Senior Vice President and Director of ICF Resources Incorporated. At ICF, he was a lead officer in developing the Integrated Planning Model (IPM) for the electric power sector, still in wide use by EPA, utilities, and others. Mr. Klein earned a Bachelor's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Joseph M. Merlino, Managing Partner, is an entrepreneur whose work has helped secure more than $5 billion in financial assets under management, generate more than $50 million in charitable contributions and mobilize millions of people worldwide. Joe has delivered these results working with major corporations, UN agencies and leading nonprofit organizations. Former clients include PNM Resources, Calvert Investments, First Wind, Covanta Energy, Farralon Capital, US Department of Energy, Amnesty International, and the Sierra Club. Joe received his B.A., with honors, from Harvard University where he studied economics and history.
Glenn O. Steiger, Senior Advisor, is an accomplished, experienced and internationally recognized CEO-level leader in the energy/water industries. He has more than 45 years of energy-related experience including leadership roles at three municipal utilities in California: Glendale Water & Power, Imperial Irrigation District and Alameda Municipal Power along with extensive executive responsibilities with Jersey Central Power and Light and the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Corp. Glenn is a recognized visionary with a strong history of delivering financial and operational results. He has effectively managed annual operating budgets of +$1 billion while creating solid business foundations through the creation and implementation of forward looking solutions. He has been directly responsible for the GreenPath Transmission project and groundbreaking smart-grid and micro-grid initiatives within the California/Arizona region. He has been responsible for the development of over 2000 mw of renewable and fossil generation including all renewable and power supply activities in his current role of Executive Consultant for the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority. Glenn received Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and completed the Advanced Executive Management Program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Management. He is a licensed Professional Engineer and has served on the Board of Directors of WECC, the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative, the Southern California Public Power Authority, the California Municipal Utilities Association, The Large Public Power Association, and the Northern California Power Agency.
Alan J. Statman, Partner & General Counsel, has more than 30 years of experience representing investor-owned utilities, independent transmission companies, and independent power projects before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), state public utility commissions, state regulatory agencies, and federal courts. In that capacity, he was a managing shareholder for 24 years of Wright & Talisman, P.C., a leading boutique energy law firm in Washington D.C. Mr. Statman is an affiliate partner of Lindsay Goldberg, a New York-based private equity fund providing advice and assistance on energy transactions. He was instrumental in the creation of Continental Energy by Lindsay Goldberg, which included affiliates Cap Rock Energy, SEMCO and New Mexico Gas. Mr. Statman was a founder of Trans-Elect, Inc., North America's first ITC, and held various positions with the company from Trans-Elect's inception in 1999 until 2005. He received a J.D. from the Syracuse University College of Law, where he was the editor of the Syracuse Law Review.
Ken McQueen, Partner is an energy, environment, and natural resource expert in southwest US with 40 years’ experience in government, industry, and academia. He most recently served as US EPA’s Region 6 Administrator in Dallas TX and US EPA’s National Energy Policy Advisor (2019-2021). Region 6 includes the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and 66 tribal nations. Ken was the first and only native-born Oklahoman to serve as a regional administrator at EPA. Before federal service, he was New Mexico’s Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources (2016-2018) during the Susana Martinez’ Administration. During his time as a cabinet secretary, he also served as Chair, Carlsbad Brine Well Authority; Chair, Natural Lands Protection Committee; Chair, New Mexico Radioactive Waste Consultation Task Force; Secretary, New Mexico Finance Authority (NMFA) ; Member, Water Trust Board (WTB); Member, Western Interstate Energy Board (WIEB). During this time, he also made three trips to Asia with the Governor to promote New Mexico energy resources. Industry experience spanned 35 years as a petroleum engineer, retiring as an asset team Vice President for a major upstream energy company in 2016. Mr. McQueen holds a BS in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Tulsa, where he served as an adjunct professor and an industry advisory board member. He was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2018. Mr. McQueen consults on a wide array of natural resource issues, with particular focus on water use/reuse, the hydrogen economy, electrical generation, oil and gas, and carbon sequestration.