$SLNH | A Former Kinder Morgan Executive Joins Soluna as Kati 2 Advances Its Natural Gas Infrastructure
Soluna's recent appointment of Ben J. Carranza, P.E., as Director of Community Engagement caught my attention, particularly given his background at Kinder Morgan and the infrastructure developments underway at Project Kati 2 in Willacy County, Texas.
Carranza previously served as Vice President of Regulatory at Kinder Morgan, one of North America's largest energy infrastructure companies, with an extensive natural gas pipeline network across the United States.
His background is particularly relevant. Federal regulatory records from 2023 identify Carranza as a regulatory contact for Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America, operated by Kinder Morgan. He also participated in Kinder Morgan's 2024 Northern Pipelines customer meeting, addressing FERC developments, environmental regulations and regulatory engagement.
Now consider where Soluna stands with Kati 2.
In August, the company confirmed that it had executed an access agreement with a natural gas pipeline operator and that engineering work was underway for the lateral connection to the campus.
Natural gas is an important component of Kati 2's planned energy architecture, combining behind-the-meter renewable generation, grid connectivity and onsite gas-fired generation to support the demanding power requirements of AI infrastructure.
As the project advances, coordinating pipeline access, engineering, landowners, local authorities and regulatory requirements becomes increasingly important.
This is where Carranza's experience could be especially valuable.
There is also a more speculative angle worth considering.
Kinder Morgan has an extensive presence in Texas natural gas infrastructure, while Soluna has yet to disclose the identity of its pipeline access partner.
Could Carranza's previous relationships and regulatory experience within Kinder Morgan's pipeline operations have some relevance to Soluna's developing gas infrastructure strategy in South Texas?
That remains speculation, not a confirmed commercial connection between the two companies. But the combination of his professional background, Soluna's recently secured pipeline access and Kati 2's transition toward infrastructure execution makes this a development worth examining.
Beyond any potential Kinder Morgan connection, the appointment brings substantial energy infrastructure experience into Soluna at a stage when successful project execution increasingly depends on coordinating multiple stakeholders.
For a company developing large-scale, power-intensive AI campuses, that experience could prove valuable well beyond Kati 2.