INTERVIEW: Jamie Gray, Chief Operating Officer, Commonwealth LNG
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Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Commonwealth LNG?
My role at Commonwealth LNG is Chief Operating Officer. This includes responsibilities for delivery of the liquefaction project as well as setting up an experienced operations team to take us through commissioning, startup, and finally, commercial operations. I joined Commonwealth in 2023 following nine years with Sempra Infrastructure where I led the design, construction, and commissioning of Cameron LNG’s three liquefaction trains as well as the pre-FID activities to add a potential fourth LNG train and increase the existing trains’ production capacities.
Prior to Sempra, I was Project Manager for BP Wind Energy, developing and executing the largest single-phase wind farm construction project in U.S. history (Flat Ridge 2). Earlier career experience included engineering roles for MPR Associates after starting my career in the US Navy Nuclear Power program.
My bachelor’s degree is in electrical engineering from the University of Texas, and I have a post-graduate certificate in Project Management from the University of Manchester.
Q: As 2024 draws to a close, what are some of your reflections on the current state of play for LNG development on the USGC? What do you see as the major challenges and opportunities as we move into 2025?
Commonwealth and other LNG companies with projects on the Gulf Coast continue US LNG’s capacity to respond to growing gas demand in emerging markets, as well as providing energy security to our allies and opportunities to lower global emissions through reduced reliance on coal. There is increased attention on how liquefaction is considered in the context of the entire LNG value chain. In June of 2024, Kimmeridge, an alternative asset manager focused on the energy sector, acquired controlling interest in Commonwealth LNG as a vital part of Kimmeridge’s wellhead to water strategy, including an option for net zero LNG cargoes. We believe Kimmeridge’s forward-looking strategy is emblematic of the broader direction of the industry.
Q: With many expecting 2025 to be a bumper year for not just LNG but energy project development in general, what are some of the impacts this can have on the market? How are you planning for these?
Increased production of clean and affordable energy is a net positive for both suppliers and consumers. However, this growth brings competition for capital, labor, and materials. We believe Commonwealth is well positioned to address these challenges, with a highly experienced engineering partner in Technip Energies, a modularized approach to greatly reduce on-site labor requirements, solid financial relationships through our owner organization Kimmeridge, and commercial contracts with highly reputable customers.
Q: Could you share with an update on the current status of your project and how are things are progressing in terms of key milestones?
We are advancing development of a 9.5 Mtpa LNG export facility in Cameron, Louisiana, at a site where the Calcasieu Ship Channel empties into the Gulf of Mexico. This project received its Certificate of Authorization by FERC in November of 2022, but was subsequently among those “paused” by the Department of Energy’s decision to conduct additional studies before issuing non-Free Trade Agreement authorizations for pending LNG applications in 2024. Commonwealth now anticipates reaching FID in Q3 of 2025, with operation of the facility to commence in early 2029.
Q: Can you expand upon Commonwealth’s recent commitment to obtaining independent certification of their natural gas operations under the protocols developed by MiQ. Why you have decided to take this step and how it will work in practice?
Our pursuit of MiQ certification underscores our dedication to quantifiable emissions reduction and transparent reporting. Independent certification will provide our stakeholders with credible data on Commonwealth’s GHG emissions performance and positions us as a trusted partner in the global energy transition. The MiQ certification will involve a comprehensive, third-party audited assessment of our operations, leading to a verification of total carbon emissions. An emphasis will be placed on methane emissions through the MiQ Standard’s requirements on methane mitigation, monitoring, and measurement. We will also work with our midstream partners to understand their emissions performance and advocate for certification. The certification process for Commonwealth will commence within one month of reaching full commercial operations.
Q: Commonwealth recently announced several education initiatives in Southwest Louisiana. Could you share some more information about these initiatives and the importance of partnerships?
We certainly believe in the importance of building strong local partnerships, as demonstrated in several significant pre-FID commitments we’ve made in our host community of Cameron Parish, Louisiana. Our early priorities have focused on healthcare access and wellness, educational opportunities, and workforce development. This includes donating a $450,000 mobile healthcare unit to the Lower Cameron Hospital Service District to provide interim services after the local hospital was destroyed by a hurricane. Recognizing that students in this large, but sparsely populated, parish face unique challenges in attending leadership and STEM events requiring travel, Commonwealth donated $200,000 to the local school board as the foundational grant for the Explorer Program to help defray these costs. We have also donated similar amounts to endow scholarships at McNeese State University and SOWELA Technical Community College with priority consideration for students from Cameron Parish to advance their education.
Q: How are these types of programmes to helping showcase opportunities within the industry and bringing through the next generation of workers?
Schools in southwestern Louisiana are increasingly aware of the broad range of opportunities the LNG industry is bringing to the area and are tailoring their curriculum to help their students pursue careers in their home region. Our company and others have continued to foster these goals with scholarships, internship opportunities, advisory services, and civic participation.
Q: What other ways are you looking to combat the current workforce constraints felt in the region?
Our modular construction approach greatly reduces onsite labor requirements and burdens on local infrastructure, while also providing better schedule assurance. We anticipate our construction workforce will peak at about 2000 workers, less than a quarter of the workforce that might be required using a stick-built approach.
Q: How have you seen approaches to project development change over the last 5 years? What do you expect to see over the next 5 years? How does this impact upon the plans for your facility?
Geopolitical events of the last five years demonstrated just how important US LNG is in addressing both energy security and growth in global energy supply. With the U.S. emerging as the world’s leading exporter of LNG, we’re increasingly looked upon to advance the industry in efficiency and environmental stewardship.
We face the next 5 years as a more mature industry with a key role in the energy transition. We see growing focus on measurement and verification throughout the lifecycle of the LNG value chain and additional opportunities to incorporate carbon capture solutions into LNG production. Commercially, there’s broader interest from end use customers, traders, and portfolio players to secure supply for anticipated needs in both traditional and emerging markets. Commonwealth is focused on meeting these goals with a facility designed to produce LNG efficiently and leading in in industry transparency and reduced emissions.
If you'd like to hear more from Jamie, he will be joining our opening Keynote project owner / operator panel at LNG Export NA 2025 (June 11 - 12, GRB Houston, Tx). Jamie will be joining senior leaders from Cheniere and Alder Midstream to discuss the current outlook for major LNG export project development.