ELRO Energy is an independent LNG advisory firm providing senior commercial, shipping and project delivery expertise across the LNG value chain.
With decades of industry experience spanning LNG trading, shipping strategy, project delivery and project commercial negotiations, ELRO Energy supports clients in navigating complex LNG transactions, shipping decisions and portfolio strategies.
Richard Towell
director
Richard Towell is an LNG commercial and shipping specialist with over 30 years' experience across the global LNG industry. At Shell, he managed the negotiating team for the North West Shelf Equity Lifting Agreements, and later, at Origin Energy, established a highly profitable LNG portfolio trading team from first principles. He grew Shell's LNG trading fleet from two to fifteen carriers, executed over 400 LNG carrier fixtures across short and long-term charters, and is the author of ShellLNGTime1, the LNG industry's benchmark charter party. At AGL, he led commercial negotiation of the FSRU charter proposed for the Crib Point LNG import project. Richard founded ELRO Energy to bring senior, hands-on LNG commercial and shipping expertise to clients directly, without the delegation layers of a larger advisory firm.
Experience
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Experience across major LNG projects including North West Shelf, Prelude, Wheatstone, Browse and APLNG
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Managed the negotiating team for the North West Shelf Equity Lifting Agreements (Shell)
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Seconded to the North West Shelf Joint Venture representing Shell interests
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Managed Shell's LNG trading and shipping portfolios; growing the LNG carrier fleet from two to fifteen vessels
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Executed over 400 LNG carrier fixtures across short and long-term charters
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The author of ShellLNGTime1 the LNG industry's benchmark charter party
Areas of Expertise
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LNG commercial negotiation and contract structuring
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LNG shipping and chartering strategy
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Commercial ship management
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LNG portfolio optimisation and trading support
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LNG infrastructure and regas commercial advisory
Qualifications
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Honours degree in Maritime Business and Maritime Law
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Accredited by the Australian Financial Markets Association
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Accredited by the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers.
Ricky McNally
Head of project management and assurance
Ricky brings deep delivery experience as both an Engineering Manager and Project Director across some of Australia’s most complex energy and infrastructure programs. He served as Engineering Manager on Chevron’s Gorgon LNG Project, before stepping into Project Director roles for Origin’s Halladale and Speculant developments, Woodside’s Onshore brownfields portfolio, and Victoria’s CarbonNet Project. He offers what most commercial advice lacks, leadership from someone who has actually carried delivery risk end‑to‑end, not just reviewed it at a desktop level.
His experience extends ELRO Energy's capability into independent project and technical assurance, alongside its core LNG commercial and shipping advisory.
Experience
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Senior project delivery leadership on two of Australia's major LNG import terminal developments: AGL's Crib Point Gas Import Jetty and AIE's Port Kembla Energy Terminal
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Engineering Manager, Chevron's Gorgon LNG Project
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Onshore Program Manager, Woodside Energy, leading a brownfields portfolio ranging from $100k to $100m
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Project Director, Origin Energy, delivering the $400m Halladale and Speculant projects on time and under budget
Areas of Expertise
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Major project engineering and delivery leadership
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Project and program management across LNG and energy infrastructure
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Onshore and brownfields project execution
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Contracting strategy, risk allocation and delivery governance
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Stakeholder and regulatory engagement on major infrastructure developments
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Independent project and technical assurance
Qualifications
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Bachelor of Science (Hons), Mechanical Engineering
Leo Gama
Digital Tooling & AI
Leo Gama brings 25 years of experience spanning LNG commercial, strategy and digital transformation. At Shell, he built the tools that served as a foundation for LNG cargo allocation decisions, and later moved into strategy consulting and digital product leadership roles across energy, mining, telecommunications and financial services. Leo works with ELRO Energy to bring modern digital tooling and AI capability to LNG commercial, shipping and project advisory engagements.
Experience
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Built and deployed portfolio management models used to test trading opportunities and measure exposure to different market price and volume allocation scenarios, supporting LNG cargo allocation decisions across 100+ cargoes a year
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Conducted economic and risk analysis on multi-billion-dollar LNG projects in the Middle East
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Supported development of LNG import terminals in France, and negotiated market access and equity acquisition options for an LNG terminal in the Netherlands
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Negotiated a $200m annual lease of a Floating Liquefaction vessel operating in the Mediterranean Sea, and a two-year LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement with a French counterparty
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Delivered strategy engagements at A.T. Kearney across energy, mining and telecommunications, including organisation design for Origin and Santos LNG projects and a $100m Telstra supply chain strategy
Areas of Expertise
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Business Strategy
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Digital Transformation and AI adoption
Qualifications
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Master of Business Administration (Honours)
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Master of Engineering (Mechanical)
Murray Gilbey
Senior Commercial Manager LNG & Domestic Gas
Murray brings more than 30 years of senior LNG and domestic gas commercial experience from Chevron and Woodside, leading long-term contract negotiations and price reviews across some of Australia's largest LNG and gas projects. Where ELRO's core strength is physical trading, shipping and the operational mechanics of equity lifting and tolling arrangements, Murray extends that into the long-term contractual layer above it, SPA negotiation, price reviews and domestic gas sales agreements. As Chevron's Sellers' Representative and lead negotiator, he secured the extension of five Wheatstone LNG Sale and Purchase Agreements and led the domestic gas commercial negotiations in support of the Gorgon joint venture project's final investment decision.
Experience
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Sellers' Representative and lead negotiator, Wheatstone LNG Sale and Purchase Agreements (Chevron, Woodside, KUFPEC), extending five SPAs from 10 to 20 years
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Sellers' Representative, Gorgon domestic gas sales agreements (with ExxonMobil, Shell, MidOcean, Osaka Gas and JERA), leading multiple successful price review negotiations
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Chevron's lead commercial negotiator, three Gorgon Foundational Domestic Gas Sales Agreements, delivering approximately 150 TJ/d, representing over 15% of Western Australia's gas market at that time, and supporting Gorgon's final investment decision
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Lead Commercial Analyst, North West Shelf Pricing Outside the Range negotiations, providing analytical leadership and commercial structuring for complex price negotiations where significant value was at stake
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Senior Commercial Analyst, Pluto LNG (Woodside), providing commercial structuring advice
Areas of Expertise
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Long-term LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement negotiation and price review
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Domestic gas sales agreement negotiation
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Equity lifting and balancing framework negotiation (long-term contractual basis)
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Carbon capture and storage commercial marketing and joint venture representation
Qualifications
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Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical), University of Western Australia
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Master of Business Administration, University of Western Australia
Operating
ELRO Energy operates as a lean, senior-led advisory, combining direct commercial and shipping expertise with independent project and technical assurance.
Where required, we draw on a wider network of experienced LNG and energy specialists to support specific technical, operational or project requirements, while maintaining a single point of accountability for clients.