IPANM (Sept. 1, 2026) – IPANM joined New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham this week on a landmark trade mission to Ireland centered on one of the most consequential energy conversations of our time: can New Mexico natural gas — liquefied and shipped across the Atlantic — become a long-term pillar of Ireland’s energy security?
The answer, based on the meetings held, is that Ireland is ready to have that conversation seriously. IPANM Executive Director Jim Winchester, NMOGA’s Legislative Affairs Director Ashley Wagner, and IPANM Past-President and State Representative Mark Murphy represented the industry on the ground, engaging directly with Irish government ministers and energy executives on what a durable, long-term LNG supply relationship could look like. Ireland’s situation is straightforward and urgent: the country depends on outside sources for the vast majority of its natural gas, and its last remaining domestic field is running dry. What’s shifted is the candor — Irish leaders are now openly acknowledging that the energy transition will take longer than planned, and that reliable baseload supply isn’t optional while that transition unfolds. New Mexico, producing at scale with enormous untapped capacity, is positioned to be exactly the kind of long-term partner Ireland needs.
The conversations weren’t abstract. The delegation met with Gas Networks Ireland CEO David Kelly — the infrastructure operator who would move LNG once it arrives — as well as Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy Darragh O’Brien and Minister of State Neale Richmond. Those are the decision-makers who control the policy environment for expanded LNG import capacity. The message New Mexico brought was simple and backed by production reality: we have the gas, we have the ability to ramp, and we’re ready to be a reliable ally. Also traveling with the Governor were Chief of Staff Dan Schlegel, Deputy COO Caroline Buerkle, Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Rob Black, and Representative Tara Lujan, alongside the Glanbia CEO meeting that reflects the broader economic relationship between the two regions.
This is precisely the kind of mission the industry should be engaged in. The world doesn’t need less natural gas — it needs more of it, from reliable partners who can deliver. New Mexico is that partner.
