Interview with Michael D. Tusiani
5 QUESTIONS FOR MICHAEL D. TUSIANI
AUTHOR OF LNG: FUEL FOR A CHANGING WORLD – A NONTECHNICAL GUIDE, 2ND EDITION
PennWell Books: What made you decide to write this book:
Michael Tusiani: First, writing a book which is a comprehensive overview of an entire industry forces one to review it in great detail. We had to update all the factual data, and reconsider our analysis and views in light of the events which have transpired since the first edition was published. Second, it has given us the opportunity to debate, question and test each other which we found challenging and refreshing. Lastly, as a practical matter, the previous text was clearly outdated given the rapid changes that have occurred in the industry over the past decade. We did not believe it was in either of our DNAs to have our names associated with an outdated text.
PennWell Books: What makes your book different than other books on LNG?
Michael Tusiani: To the best of our knowledge there are no other books which offer such a comprehensive overview, including a detailed survey of the industry’s present markets, an overview of the technology, regulatory and commercial aspects of the industry, and an in-depth review of the integrated nature of the supply chains involved in bringing natural gas to market as LNG. Other books certainly examine some of the features in depth but none put it all together in one volume.
PennWell Books: In your opinion, who would gain the most from reading your book?
Michael Tusiani: Almost anyone in the hydrocarbon business would benefit, whether it is the engineer trying to understand how the commercial and regulatory sides of the business work; the lawyer trying to familiarize him or herself with the technology; and, most of all, those new to the industry who need to gain a quicker context for their career.
PennWell Books: Was your writing process different for the second book than the first?
Michael Tusiani: Yes. While we started with the same basic framework, there was a need for comprehensive updating on suppliers and markets. The emergence of floating solutions to regasification and liquefaction was barely touched on in the earlier edition and needed to be covered comprehensively. And, most importantly, sweeping changes in the industry, such as the shale gas revolution and the emergence of US LNG exports cried out for analysis and coverage in the global context. These all had to be woven into the earlier framework, but we believe the result is essentially a brand new book, rather than one with updates to a few tables and charts.
PennWell Books: What advice would you give someone who wants to work in the LNG industry?
Michael Tusiani: Notwithstanding all the excitement around renewables, the world will be heavily dependent on fossil fuels for a long time. Hopefully, natural gas will continue to gain at the expense of its more polluting competitors. But natural gas, and LNG in particular, will only gain if the industry attracts the best and the brightest to work on addressing its challenges, especially bringing down its cost to be more competitive. This challenge coupled with the scale of the industry, its global footprint, and its relatively low labor-intensity, creates the potential for very exciting careers. It is hard to see any other industry offering such opportunities.