Meet Ron Heffron, GHDs new Vice President of Future Fuels in North America

I’ve been working in the space where energy and marine intersect for over 40 years, including oil & gas marine terminals, liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, offshore wind and, more recently, future fuels projects. Coming from a background in the planning and design of many floating LNG terminals globally, I am passionate about the energy transition underway, and the myriad of opportunities this brings to our current and future generations of engineers. I have an extensive network from the oil and gas industry and many of these owners/clients are working hard to prepare for a lower-carbon future. Many of the solutions I developed for the LNG sector are perfectly adaptable to the future fuels sector. This promises to be an exciting journey!

While the industry took off in 2022 with passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in the US, the market has slowed as the tax credit rules associated with the IRA work their way through a politically charged process. The new rules are expected to be announced in early 2025 following the US elections. Now is the time to position for the expected growth in opportunities. The journey towards future fuels will be chaotic and challenging, so at GHD we are taking the long view, and embracing the transition that will be needed. While the ultimate goal will be green hydrogen (and derivatives), the transition will involve a lot of blue hydrogen and LNG.

My personal expertise is in floating marine terminal infrastructure planning and design. For the LNG sector I have defined over 60 alternative configurations for such terminals, as well as 20+ unique mooring solutions for the vessels which are typically “permanently moored”. All these alternatives are equally applicable to the future fuels sector. As an example, imagine an ammonia terminal where the ammonia is stored on a nearshore floating storage vessel, resulting in less risk to populated areas and other onshore operations. I currently serve as chairman of The World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure / PIANC Working Group 153C, which is updating a previously developed design guideline to include future fuels within the scope. This new document will be published in 2025 and will be called “Recommendations for the Design and Assessment of Liquid and Gas Marine Terminals Handling Fossil-Based and Clean Alternative Fuels and Cargoes".

I'm diving into GHD’s global team’s vast experience and capabilities. I'll be traveling nationwide and attending conferences to meet our clients face-to-face while further understanding our current technical capabilities and what we need to focus on for further growth. I look forward to helping our clients achieve their energy transition goals with future fuels.

About GHD

GHD is a leading professional services company operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. Committed to a vision to make water, energy, and communities sustainable for generations to come, GHD delivers advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction solutions to public and private sector clients. Established in 1928 and privately owned by its people, GHD’s network of 11,000+ professionals are connected across 160 offices located on five continents.