"Insights": The Natural Gas Industry of Trinidad and Tobago. in Transition?

Dr. René Monteil graduated from the University of London with BSc and PhD degrees in Chemistry. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemists after his research with Nobel Laureate, Sir Derek Barton, at Imperial College, London. He has held academic positions at the University of the West Indies at both the Mona and St Augustine campuses in the departments of Chemistry and Petroleum Engineering. In 1987, he was called to the Bar of Middle Temple and was awarded an MA degree in law from City University, London in 1989. He was admitted to practice law in Trinidad and Tobago in 2001 and is the holder of an LLM in American law from the University of Georgia.

His work experience includes an attachment as legal advisor in the then Department of Energy in the United Kingdom where he addressed many legal problems arising under the varied UK energy legislation. He represented the UK on the team that negotiated the interconnector gas pipeline treaty between the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Back home in Trinidad, he was initially involved in project planning and development of natural gas based industries at the National Energy Corporation where he pioneered studies for the formation of Phoenix Park Gas Processors Limited. At the National Gas Company, he was the LNG coordinator for the company's equity investment in Atlantic LNG Train 1 and, as Vice President, Business Development, he had responsibility for the promotion and development of gas-based industries, including value-added projects for creating Aluminium and ethylene-based industries. At Atlantic LNG, he chaired a commercial team that was mandated by the 5 Atlantic LNG sponsors to develop the initial Atlantic LNG Train 2 expansion project and was the commercial Project Manager/LNG coordinator for BG's interest in Atlantic LNG Train 4. In the Atlantic LNG forum, he also represented BG's shareholder interests in the four Atlantic LNG trains as an alternate Member on the various Boards in the Atlantic LNG group of companies.

Dr Monteil has given a wide range of public service, which includes membership of the Boards of Alutrint, CARIRI, IMA, NIHERST, e TecK and EMA. As a founder member of the Board of Governors of the University of Trinidad and Tobago and the university's executive director, he played a leading role in developing the university from its inception.