NextDecade appoints new COO with focus on LNG, carbon capture
US energy company NextDecade said June 22 one of its senior vice presidents would assume the role of COO, taking the helm on its LNG and carbon capture projects.
Ivan Van der Walt will move from senior vice president for engineering and construction to the newly-created COO position effective July 1.
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“Mr. Van der Walt will continue to be responsible for all project management, engineering, construction, commissioning and operations of the company’s LNG and carbon capture projects,” the company explained.
Van der Walt has a record in liquefied natural gas with management experience in the Woodside, Gorgan and Pluto megaprojects in Australia. He joined NextDecade in July 2018.
Elsewhere, NextDecade announced that Vera de Gyarfas will join the company July 12 as corporate secretary and general counsel, replacing Krysta De Lima, who has left to pursue other interests.
Like Van der Walt, de Gyarfas has a legacy in LNG, representing Anadarko at its LNG facility in Mozambique.
NextDecade in March extended agreements through mid-2022 with contractor Bechtel for its 27mn mt/year Rio Grande LNG terminal in Texas.
The Rio Grande project suffered a setback last year when French energy company Engie ended talks for supplies from the project, reportedly after the French government, a minority shareholder, raised concerns about methane lifecycle emissions in the US.
NextDecade said it still expected to take a final investment decision on the terminal's first two trains this year.
NextDecade axed plans for a 16.5mn mt/yr liquefaction terminal in Galveston Bay in Texas in January, after concluding that the project site was unsuitable because of regulatory difficulties.