Video Transcript
Speakers
Host: Lilian Wagner, TotalEnergies
Guest: Caleb Francis, Chief Operating Officer, TotalEnergies E&P Barnett USA
[Intro opening with music]
Transcript
Lillian Wagner: Welcome to the Energy Talks Podcast, U.S. edition, the podcast where we explore the people, the projects, and the innovation shaping the future of energy. I'm your host, Lillian Wagner. In today's episode, we'll be talking about one of the most important energy producing regions here in the United States, the Barnett Shale in Texas. Joining me is Caleb Francis, who leads operations for TotalEnergies in the Barnett.
Caleb Francis: I'm excited to be here. Thanks for having me.
Lillian Wagner: So, I want our listeners to learn a little bit more about you before we get into the podcast. So how did you get started in the energy industry?
Caleb Francis: Well, I'm a proud native Texan and I've always been interested in engineering and how things work. And so specifically for the energy industry, I wanted to do something that had an impact and where I could use that engineering background. And so, when you talk about energy and you look at how that impacts our daily lives, our quality of life, there's no really bigger industry in our lives with that kind of impact. And so, I got an engineering degree and then I've worked in multiple United States basins. And then now I lead our Barnett Shell operations in North Texas.
Lillian Wagner: So, you clearly have a passion for it.
Caleb Francis: Oh, absolutely. It's fun to come to work every day.
Lillian Wagner: So, for our viewers, and listeners who may not be familiar, what exactly is the Barnett Shale and can you explain why it's important?
Caleb Francis: Yes, so the Barnett Shale is a shale gas play located in North Texas and it has a very unique place in the energy industry. And so specifically what makes the Barnett important is this is the area in which innovations were tested. And so it really helped establish the United States now as a leading natural gas producer.
Lillian Wagner: So, if I'm not mistaken, the Barnett isn't the largest basin today, but its influence is still enormous.
Caleb Francis: Exactly. So the first well was drilled actually over 40 years ago. But what's exciting is we're still producing energy there and we're continuing to improve how we do it every single day.
Lillian Wagner: Producing energy responsibly is a major focus for TotalEnergies. How is the Barnett team working to reduce emissions?
Caleb Francis: Our strategy is actually quite simple. More energy, less emissions. So, in the Barnett, we're focused on exactly that. We're maximizing the energy we produce while reducing our environmental footprint. And so, one of the most impactful initiatives we've done is eliminating the use of pneumatic devices with natural gas. So, a pneumatic device, simply put, is a device that's powered with a fluid to activate certain things that you use throughout the process. And so, if you can eliminate that natural gas and do it with air or electricity, you eliminate those emissions, which is exactly what we want to do because if we keep that product in the pipeline, we can then deliver that to our customers. And so, we worked with a company called Q-Energy with that. It's a very innovative solution and we converted all of our active sites to air and electricity and it significantly reduced our emissions.
Lillian Wagner: So, what do those efforts really mean?
Caleb Francis: So that effort has allowed us to reduce methane emissions by over 70% since 2020, showing how technology applied by the right teams can help us produce energy more efficiently and responsibly.
Lillian Wagner: Wow, that's remarkable reduction. For someone listening, why does cutting methane emissions buy that much matter?
Caleb Francis: Well, it means we're keeping more natural gas in the system where it can be delivered to customers while reducing our environmental footprint. The success of this project is really a testament to the teams involved. It was something we're incredibly proud of, and it's not only impactful for our customers, but it's impactful for every stakeholder.
Lillian Wagner: Can you give me more examples of technologies that are helping to drive this progress?
Caleb Francis: Yes, so one other example would be the use of air fuel controllers on our natural gas compressors. So, you can think of an air fuel controller kind of like a fuel gas injection system on a modern vehicle. And so, what it does is it controls the mixture of air and natural gas to where it burns cleaner and ultimately leads to less emissions. So you can have a much more efficient process. You know, another example is we're pioneers in electric drilling. So when we drill wells, you can think of it as like hooking into the wall. We plug our drilling rigs into the electric grid and that significantly reduces our environmental emissions.
Lillian Wagner: So it's clear that innovation isn't just happening in the lab. It's happening every day in the field.
Caleb Francis: Exactly. The field's actually the best lab. We're constantly testing new technologies, whether it's electrification, leak detection systems, or advanced monitoring tools. We're making use of the very best of technology.
Lillian Wagner: So according to the American Gas Association, over 180 million Americans still use natural gas every day.I would bet that the majority of them never even think about where it comes from. What would you like people to better understand about natural gas?
Caleb Francis: Well, I think I'd like people to understand just how connected energy is to everyday life. Whether you're getting up in the morning and turning on lights, keeping your home cool in a hot Texas summer, running a business, powering a hospital, and reliable energy is essential. And natural gas is a vitally important part of that. And so what's important is continuing to produce it more efficiently with less emissions. And that's exactly what we're focused on at TotalEnergies.
Lillian Wagner: One last question before we wrap up.What are you most proud of when you look at the work being done by the team in the Barnett?
Caleb Francis: I think you said the right word, the team. Most great things accomplished in life are done collectively with the team. And so we work hard every day. We come to work knowing that our job is important and that if we do our job a little bit better every day, we can provide energy that's impactful for the world. And if we can do it with less emissions and more responsibly, we all benefit. For me, it's personal. I live in North Texas. These are the communities that we work and live and operate in. And so for my family, for the families I know, for the communities around us, doing things the right way is very important.
Lillian Wagner: Caleb, thank you so much for joining us. It was a pleasure having you.
Caleb Francis: It's great to be here. Thank you.
Lillian Wagner: And thank you for listening to the TotalEnergies Energy Talks podcast, US edition. Join us next time as we continue exploring the people and the innovations helping shape the future of energy across the United States.
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©TotalEnergies - September 2026