Interview: Octávio Simões, President, Sempra LNG

In the build up to CWC’s World LNG Summit & Awards Evening, CWC interviewed Octávio Simões, President, Sempra LNG.

How is the requirement of buyers to seek out shorter term contracts affecting project financing?

Given the size of the capital requirements to launch a liquefaction project, short-term contracts do not support the development of new supply. The size of the commitment can be mitigated by establishing contracts for the infrastructure only, such as in the US projects, but not the commodity, what we typically designate as the cost-plus model. This allows new supply to be developed on a timely basis and avoid the ‘Buyer’s market – Seller’s market’ cycles.

How effectively are gas and LNG competing for their rightful place alongside coal and renewables?

The simple answer is that in my opinion gas is not competing effectively. The flexibility of gas generation to support the renewables development and the environmental advantages of gas vs coal and oil are not being deployed successfully. Part of the problem has to do with the recent high prices of LNG as the linkage to oil caused the cost to skyrocket when went up in price. Another element of the failure has to do with a lack of industry advocacy and coordination to assign real carbon costs to the fossil fuels being considered.

What are Sempra’s main reasons for sponsoring the World LNG Summit this year?

We regard the World LNG Summit as the premier annual gathering of the industry participants. It provides us with an opportunity to get together with everyone at the end of each year and make an assessment of where we are and the challenges ahead. And we have been supporting the event in different ways for more than a decade. As Sempra continues to expand its footprint in the LNG industry, we remain committed to advance the industry and contribute to maintain the high levels of performance, safety and reliability that this industry has demonstrated in the past.

Interview conducted by CWC Group. Edited by Callum O'Reilly

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/10062016/interview-octavio-simoes-president-sempra-lng-2587/