US Venture LNG Hires Total Exec

US export projects developer Venture Global LNG has hired Total's global LNG development head Tom Earl as its chief commercial officer, it said July 19. Whereas Earl will work in London, Venture's projects are in Louisiana: Calcasieu is near Lake Charles and Plaquemines near New Orleans. 

Earl represented Total in its expansion into new LNG markets, including international LNG terminal projects and new downstream asset transactions. Previously at Total, Tom represented the company in its US LNG liquefaction transactions from 2012 to 2015. Before that, he was head of electricity trading at Total, having joined the French company in 1998.

Venture's joint CEO Mike Sobel said Earl was "one of the most recognised figures in LNG markets and would be an important addition to our team.” His co-CEO Bob Pender said that Earl could "see the value that Venture Global LNG brings to a changing global gas market.”

Earl said Venture Global LNG would be "an important low-cost supplier for a growing global LNG market.”

Venture Global LNG plans to be a long-term, low-cost producer of LNG, capitalising on low-cost natural gas production in the US. Its two projects will have the capacity to produce 30mn mt/year. Final investment decision will be next year, permitting still being in progress. So far one sales contract has been announced: 1mn mt/yr to Shell, free on board.

Earlier this month engineers CB&I won a $200mn engineering, procurement and construction contract from Venture Global LNG to build two liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tanks at the Calcasieu Pass export facility. It could produce about 10mn mt/yr of LNG.

William Powell