Kimberly Dang
Editor's note: This profile is part of Hart Energy's 50th anniversary Hall of Fame series honoring industry pioneers of the past 50 years and the Agents of Change (ACEs) who are leading the energy sector into the future.
As CEO of Houston-based Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI), Kim Dang leads one of the biggest energy infrastructure companies in North America with about 82,000 miles of pipeline, 140 terminals and 700 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage.
She was named to the position in 2023, having previously served as president, vice president of investor relations and director of investor relations for KMI after a six-year stay at Goldman Sachs, according to Kinder Morgan’s website.
Dang took the helm of KMI as the company continues to strengthen its midstream position amid a growing project backlog, which increased to $3.8 billion by the end of third-quarter 2023. Expansion projects underway include the Permian Highway Pipeline, which will grow its capacity by about 550 MMcf/d.
Others include the Markham Storage Expansion project to add more than 6 Bcf of incremental working gas storage capacity and 650 MMcf/d of incremental withdrawal capacity, and Phase 2 of the Evangeline Pass project, expected to make way for an additional 1.1 Bcf/d of natural gas transportation capacity to Venture Global’s proposed Plaquemines LNG facility.
In her first earnings call after being appointed CEO, Dang said she was excited about the opportunity.
“Now, a large part of my job is going to be about continuity. This is a great company and a great business with a great future. … Our traditional business will be around for a long time to come,” Dang said in January. “Energy is a $5 trillion global industry that is ingrained into every aspect of our lives. We’ll continue to invest wisely in it as we position the company to turn slowly over time with the transition in a profitable manner.”
While the company works to meet storage and transport needs for natural gas and refined products, it is also making headway on energy transition ventures, particularly in renewable natural gas following its 2021 acquisition of Kinetrex Energy.
“The Liberty landfill RNG facility began commercial in-service on October 3, 2023, while the Prairie View facility is expected to begin commissioning in the fourth quarter of 2023,” Kinder Morgan said in its third-quarter 2023 earnings release. “Together with the completed Twin Bridges landfill RNG facility, these three projects will add approximately 3.9 Bcf to KMI’s total annual RNG capacity.”
Dang, who is also a member of Kinder Morgan’s Office of the Chairman and Board of Directors, holds an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Texas A&M University.
She is also Kinder Morgan’s first woman to lead the company, something she told the Houston Chronicle she doesn’t think about.
“I grew up with brothers, playing football in the front yard. It’s more about how do you, the person that you are, be successful,” Dang said in the article. “The way I phrase it: doing the best that you can with the talents that you’ve been given in the time allotted.”
—Velda Addison, Senior Editor, Energy Transition