Former Calpine Executive Katherine Piper Joins XGS Energy as Chief Legal Officer

Former Calpine general counsel brings legal and corporate governance expertise across power generation, project development, regulatory matters, and financial transactions

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--XGS Energy, Inc. (XGS), a developer of next-generation geothermal power systems, today announced the appointment of Katherine Piper as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary. In this role, Piper will oversee all legal, corporate governance, compliance, and risk management matters across XGS’ expanding multi-gigawatt portfolio of power generation assets for utilities, industrial operators, and data centers.

Piper is an energy industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience. Most recently, she was Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Calpine Corporation, one of the largest independent power producers in the United States. At Calpine, she guided the company through complex financings and commercial transactions, multiple Department of Energy grants, mergers and acquisitions, and the company’s $26 billion sale to Constellation Energy.

“Katherine's one of the most talented leaders in the power industry,” said Martin Craighead, Chairman of XGS. “XGS is fortunate to have her business and legal expertise as we build our world-class team.”

Piper joins as XGS continues to scale its project pipeline and commercialize its water-independent, closed-loop geothermal power system. To date, XGS has secured site control of lands representing more than 10 GW of geothermal power potential, 300 MW of offtaker commitments that include Meta and CC Power, and execution and supply chain partnerships with Baker Hughes and Vallourec.

Piper is the latest senior executive addition as XGS builds the leadership team to deliver its multi-gigawatt pipeline. She follows the earlier appointments of Chief Financial Officer Richard Chong, a former Calpine finance executive; Chief Operating Officer Al Vickers, formerly CEO of bp’s US Low Carbon Energy business and, most recently, COO of Grid United; and Chief Procurement Officer Kurt Fricker, who managed roughly $4 billion in annual spend at Hess Corporation. With Piper’s appointment, the combined team brings experience financing, building, operating and sourcing for large-scale energy infrastructure with the legal and governance leadership to execute at scale.

“XGS has the technology, infrastructure, and know-how to meet the growing demand for reliable, clean power while protecting our water resources, and I am proud to join at such a pivotal moment in its journey,” said Piper. “I look forward to working with this experienced team to enhance the company’s ability to commercialize and scale its power production platform.”

About XGS Energy

XGS Energy is a next-generation geothermal developer that delivers clean, around-the-clock power anywhere there is hot rock. The XGS system decouples geothermal energy production from its historical dependence on natural water resources and geological conditions, unlocking low-risk power project development, geographic flexibility, easier permitting, and faster deployment. With deep partnerships across power development and oil and gas, XGS is positioned to meet surging demand from utilities, industrial operators, AI hyperscalers, and an increasingly electrified economy. For more information, visit www.xgsenergy.com.