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.
He has held senior commercial, trading and shipping roles at Shell, the NWS LNG Project, Origin Energy and AGL, with experience spanning LNG project development, portfolio management, contract negotiation and LNG shipping.
Experience
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Experience across major LNG projects including North West Shelf, Prelude, Wheatstone, Browse and APLNG
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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)
Operating Model
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.