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.

Acerca de GHD

GHD es una empresa líder de servicios profesionales que opera en los mercados mundiales de agua, energía y recursos, medio ambiente, infraestructura y edificaciones, y transporte. Comprometidos con la visión de lograr que el agua, la energía y las comunidades sean sostenibles para las futuras generaciones, GHD ofrece soluciones en asesoría, servicios digitales, de ingeniería, arquitectura, medio ambiente y para la construcción a clientes del sector público y privado. Fundada en 1928 y propiedad de sus trabajadores, GHD cuenta con una red de más de 11.000 profesionales conectados en más de 160 oficinas en cinco continentes.