LNG Canada CEO steps down, interim named [UPDATE]
Peter Zebedee, CEO of LNG Canada since June 2019, is stepping down effective March 29 to pursue opportunities outside the Shell-led organisation and its joint venture partners, the consortium said March 22. Almost immediately, Canadian oil sands producer Suncor Energy named Zebedee as its new executive vice president, mining and upgrading, effective April 11.
LNG Canada, one of the largest private investments in Canadian history, will initially produce 14mn mt/yr of LNG from two trains expected to enter service in mid-2025. A final investment decision on Stage 2, which would double capacity, is expected before Stage 1 enters commercial service.
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Installed by Shell to replace former LNG Canada CEO Andy Calitz in June 2019, Zebedee came to the Shell-Petronas-PetroChina-Mitsubishi-Kogas joint venture after serving in several capacities with Shell in Alberta.
Under his leadership, the project began major construction activities at the terminal site near Kitimat, on Haisla First Nation territory on BC’s northern coast, and reached several major construction milestones, including completion of a 225,000 m3 LNG storage tank and the delivery of its first large-scale modules.
“The progress that the LNG Canada project has made in the past three years has been truly remarkable, especially in the context of a global pandemic,” Zebedee said. “I want to thank every person associated with LNG Canada, its engineering, procurement and construction contractor, JGC Fluor, its subcontractors, Coastal GasLink, Indigenous and local communities, and all levels of government for their support for this great project and asset.”
The project is approaching 60% completion, and besides providing some 5,000 skilled jobs at Kitimat, is delivering “substantial” economic benefits in BC and across Canada, including C$2.8bn worth of contracts and sub-contracts to indigenous-owned and local area businesses, part of a broader set of contracts exceeding C$3.6bn.
“On behalf of Shell, I thank Peter for his efforts to get the facility’s major construction efforts underway and well past the halfway mark,” Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said. “Peter helped create a culture of excellence, respect and commitment to safety that will endure through the remaining period of construction and 40 years of safe, clean, and reliable LNG production and export.”
Steve Corbin, LNG Canada’s executive project director, will serve as interim CEO until a permanent replacement is announced. He has more than 35 years of progressive experience overseeing the successful development and execution of several notable complex, multi-billion-dollar energy projects in Canada and around the world.