Rod Duke
Chief Executive Officer – GLNG Operations Pty Ltd
Santos Limited
Rod Duke leads the incorporated operating company for the Gladstone LNG project. The US$18.5 billion Santos GLNG project converts coal seam gas resources into liquefied natural gas for export under 20-year sales contracts to Malaysia and Korea. Rod successfully delivered the 420 kilometre long gas transmission pipeline and completion of the 2 train LNG plant on Curtis Island. He has overall responsibility for project execution, commissioning & startup, ongoing plant & pipeline operations, commercial, LNG marketing and production planning for GLNG. With a capacity of 7.8 million tonnes per annum, GLNG is one of Australia’s largest resource projects, employing around 14,000 people at peak construction and more than 1,000 during ongoing operations. First LNG was produced in September 2015, safely, on schedule and within budget. The second train commenced LNG production as planned in May 2016.
Rod has extensive global experience with more than 31 years in the upstream natural gas and LNG industry. With Woodside from 1984 onwards he worked on construction, commissioning and operations of the first LNG trains in Australia at the North West Shelf; offshore on North Rankin platform well completions and production operations; and then on module construction, installation, hookup, commissioning and operations for the Goodwyn platform. He went on to market natural gas to industrial customers in Western Australia; negotiate large LNG sales contracts with buyers in Japan, Korea and China; develop new LNG business in the USA, Mexico, Chile and Thailand; and make LNG spot trading deals. In 2007, Rod moved to Singapore where he led the government project to develop that country’s LNG import industry and built its first regasification terminal. And after initially working for Santos from 1996 to 1998 as head of its South West Queensland onshore gas project at Ballera in central Australia, Rod returned in early 2013 to take up his present role based in Brisbane.
Rod’s qualifications include an Honours Degree in Chemical Engineering and a Graduate Diploma of Business Management. He is a Trustee of the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia, a Director of the Queensland Resources Council, and a member of the CSG-LNG Industry Leadership Group.