Who is Kelcy Warren? The US billionaire behind Waterford Airport’s redevelopment

Kelcy Warren is the mystery investor behind the €30 million plan to extend Waterford Airport’s runway, it has been revealed.

But who is the US billionare and what are his links to Waterford? Here’s what we know…

Warren was born in Gladewater, Texas in 1955. It is a small town in the eastern part of the state known for its oil production history.

The youngest of four sons, he grew up in a working class family in the community of White Oak.

His father worked as a field worker for an oil company and this saw Warren linked to the local energy sector from an early age.

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EARLY CAREER

Warren began his career by sweeping warehouses during summers, gaining practical insight into energy operations.

As a teenager, he took oilfield jobs, including repairing leaks, assisting welders and performing pipeline maintenance.

This instilled in him an understanding of infrastructure challenges and the physical demands of the sector.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Texas in 1978, he entered the workforce as a pipeline design engineer.

In 1981, Warren joined a small energy development firm called Endevco, where he advanced through operational roles.

By 1992, he partnered to acquire Endevco, renaming it Cornerstone Natural Gas and assuming the positions of president and chief operating officer.

Under his leadership, the company greatly expanded natural gas operations in Texas.

OIL COMPANY

In 1996, Warren co-founded Energy Transfer alongside local investor Ray Davis.

At first, the company operated approximately 200 miles of pipelines in East Texas with a workforce of about 20 employees.

Through strategic acquisitions and organic expansions, Warren has grown Energy Transfer into one of the largest oil companies in the United States.

His work in the oil industry has meant he has long come under criticism from environmental activists.

In 2023, when asked what advice he would have for young people in the energy industry, Warren said: “I would say don't believe any of this nonsense that we're transitioning out of energy.

“We're not. That can’t happen, it's impossible, but we are never going to run from the rhetoric. So I would say for young people, don't buy off on that. You're too smart.”

Today, Energy Transfer supplies over 200,000 kilometres of oil and natural gas pipelines in the US.

Warren is the single largest shareholder in the firm and is estimated to be worth €6 billion.

PIPELINE CONTROVERSY

Warren was behind the construction of the Energy Transfers’ Dakota Access Pipeline in 2017.

The project was a source of major controversy in the US, facing fierce criticism from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and environmental activists.

Protests escalated in the summer of 2016, drawing thousands of participants who blockaded construction sites and destroyed equipment.

These protests resulted in over 700 arrests and delays estimated to have cost Energy Transfers tens of millions of dollars.

In response to the protests, Warren publicly defended the project and said that construction would continue, despite backlash he described as “unfair”.

He stated that one protestor, who was found to be drilling holes in the pipeline, “needed to be removed from the gene pool”.

Shortly after his inauguration in January 2017, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that cleared the way for the pipeline to be constructed.

POLITICAL DONATIONS

Warren has long used this wealth to support the Republican Party in the United States. In 2016, he donated $6 million to Texas Governor Rick Perry's presidential campaign.

However, when the now US President Donald Trump won the Republican primary, Warren subsequently donated more than $100,000 to his campaign.

During election campaign disclosures, Trump reported owning shares in Energy Transfer which were worth between $500,000 and $1 million.

He subsequently sold these before his inauguration in January 2017, which Warren donated $250,000 towards.

In April 2020, he was invited to the White House for a ‘strategy session’ alongside other oil and gas billionaires.

In June of that year, as Trump’s re-election campaign got underway, Warren hosted Trump’s first in-person fundraiser at his mansion in Dallas, Texas.

Trump was estimated to have raised approximately $10 million in donations from the meeting.

In 2024, Warren initially supported Ron DeSantis in the Republican Party primary. However, he again supported Trump after he was selected as the Republican candidate.

He hosted another fundraiser for the then former president in May 2024 and subsequently donated over $800,000 to the Trump 47 Committee.

That same month, he also donated $5 million to the Make America Great Again PAC.

In total, it is estimated that Warren and his wife have contributed more than $20 million to Trump's presidential runs.

PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT

During his first term, Trump appointed Warren to the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees, and he is still a trustee today.

That is just one of the many roles of public influence Warren holds or has held in the United States.

In 2015, Texas Governor Greg Abbott appointed Warren to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. In this role, he participated in decisions on conservation, hunting regulations and land management.

Last year, Governor Abbott re-appointed Warren to the University of Texas System Board of Regents. This role enables him to influence policy across the state’s largest public university system.

PHILANTHROPY

Warren also has a big interest in music and has hosted the Cherokee Music Festival since it began in 2007.

The festival is a non-profit event that raises money for children's charities and local public service organisations.

In 2012, Warren donated $10 million to help build Klyde Warren Park, which is named after his son. The construction of the park, which is located in downtown Dallas, is estimated to have cost $90 million.

Given that Warren’s donation was the largest, he was given the naming rights for the park.

He also supports the Caddo Lake Institution, which aims to protect Caddo Lake and its associated wetlands.

LINKS TO IRELAND

In 2019, Warren purchased the Castletown Cox house and estate in South Kilkenny for approximately €12.6m.

The house is located close to both Piltown and Carrick-on-Suir and is still owned by Mr Warren.

Last year, he applied for planning permission to build a private distillery on the grounds of the estate.

Planning documents submitted to Kilkenny County Council stated that the estate does not intend to sell spirits commercially “at this stage”.

They state that the owner wishes “to produce whiskey for their own consumption and that of friends.” Kilkenny County Council granted permission for the development last week.

WATERFORD AIRPORT

Mr Warren’s ownership of the property has meant that he has been heavily linked with the Waterford Airport investment proposal in recent months.

It is understood that Mr Warren first expressed interest in the airport in October 2024, when government support for the airport’s runway extension appeared to be wavering.

He subsequently got in touch with local businessman William Bolster, who had spearheaded the airport’s quest for government funding.

Bolster previously told local radio station WLR that he had met with Warren both in Ireland and the United States.

Warren subsequently agreed to invest €30 million to extend the airport’s runway and upgrade its terminal facilities.

Now, the Irish Independent is reporting that the deal to formalise Mr Warren’s investment is nearing completion.

It will see the new Waterford Airport company and its assets come under the control of the US billionaire.

Planning permission for the extension of the airport’s runway was granted in January of last year and construction is set to begin in the coming months.