Williams (NYSE: WMB) received a Platts 2015 Global Energy Award in New York last night for its industry leadership in the midstream sector. The award recognizes Williams for executing on its strategy to connect the best natural gas supplies to the best markets while helping break new ground in such areas as technology, operational excellence and methane emission research.

The award was open to all companies storing, transporting or facilitating trade of energy; operators such as railways, tankers, storage, LNG terminals and oil, gas and NGL pipelines. With constantly changing political terrain, volatile commodity prices and uncertain consumer markets, Platts said Williams best demonstrated adaptation to multiple sectors, industry-leading agility and a proven resolve to evolve.

"What’s important about this award is that it’s not just about one area where we’ve excelled,” said Williams’ Chief Executive Officer Alan Armstrong. “It’s about a whole body of work we’ve completed to move our company and the entire industry forward. We simply could not have done it without our employees who go to work each day committed to helping deliver our nation’s low-cost energy supplies in the safest manner possible.”

Highlights of Williams’ accomplishments since 2012 include:

  • Executing on a strategic plan to become the No. 1 provider of natural gas midstream infrastructure in North America by connecting the best supplies to the best markets through acquisitions and organic growth.
  • Investing more than $18 billion in infrastructure growth projects and asset purchases to serve growing demand for natural gas. Commissioning several complex, world-class infrastructure projects ranging from New York City to deepwater Gulf of Mexico.
  • Sponsoring landmark Environmental Defense Fund research published in 2015 to better quantify the midstream sector’s contribution to methane emissions.
  • Providing significant environmental benefits and oil and gas upgrading services in the Canadian oil sands with the only processor of oil sands upgrader olefinic offgas in the world.
  • Leveraging best practices and institutional knowledge across all Williams’ assets to ensure the company sets the standard for operational excellence including safety, reliability and integrity.

Finalists for the Global Energy Awards were chosen from more than 200 nominations, based on their performance for each category's criteria within the designated time frame. The independent panel of judges includes former regulators, past heads of major energy companies, leading academics and international energy experts.

The Global Energy Awards have been held every year since 1999. The competition is sponsored by Platts – a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies that publishes information about worldwide energy markets and news. For more information about the awards visit http://geaweb.platts.com/Home.

About Williams

Williams (NYSE: WMB) is a premier provider of large-scale infrastructure connecting North American natural gas and natural gas products to growing demand for cleaner fuel and feedstocks. Headquartered in Tulsa, Okla., Williams owns approximately 60 percent of Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE: WPZ), including all of the 2 percent general-partner interest. Williams Partners is an industry-leading, large-cap master limited partnership with operations across the natural gas value chain from gathering, processing and interstate transportation of natural gas and natural gas liquids to petchem production of ethylene, propylene and other olefins. With major positions in top U.S. supply basins and also in Canada, Williams Partners owns and operates more than 33,000 miles of pipelines system wide – including the nation’s largest volume and fastest growing pipeline – providing natural gas for clean-power generation, heating and industrial use. Williams Partners’ operations touch approximately 30 percent of U.S. natural gas. www.williams.com

Portions of this document may constitute “forward-looking statements” as defined by federal law. Although the company believes any such statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there is no assurance that actual outcomes will not be materially different. Any such statements are made in reliance on the “safe harbor” protections provided under the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995. Additional information about issues that could lead to material changes in performance is contained in the company’s annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.