Michael (Mike) Lauer

Mike Lauer is the founder and Director of Energy Matrix and all its subsidiary companies: Project Consultancy Services (PCS), gasTrading, Agora Gas, and Agora Retail. PCS, is the consultancy arm of the Energy Matrix Group and was the first company Mike established in 1991. Mike offers expert advice regarding oil and gas supply, oil, gas and infrastructure projects, remote power generation developments, and industry regulation. Mike began his work in the oil and gas industry over 30 years ago with a role negotiating the development, gas purchase, gas transportation and associated agreements which underpinned the Amadeus Basin to Darwin Gas Pipeline in 1985.

In the following 30 years, Mike has been involved in a great many projects of significance to the industry. Apart from establishing the now thriving Energy Matrix Group, his most significant project was successfully project managing the Goldfields Gas Pipeline project, including the negotiation of all joint venture, project and development agreements (with the State) and the putting in place and negotiation (with government) the first Australian tariff, open access and contract arrangements to apply to that pipeline.

Mike has given strategic advice for projects involving all major Australian gas provinces and has arranged power and, or, gas supply for numerous mining projects. His advice is sought from business, government, and academia. His clients have included Avoca, BHP Billiton, Birla Nifty, Centaur Mining and Exploration, Dominion Mining Limited, Ergon Energy, Fortescue Metals, Iluka Resources, Jabiru, Jundee, LionOre, Murrin Murrin Operations, Norilsk, Pegasus Gold Australia Pty Ltd, Solomon Pacific Resources NL, St Barbara, Wiluna Mines, Windimurra Vanadium, WMC Resources, and Xstrata. He has taught guest classes at the University of Western Australia on energy product marketing and gas transport contracting for the last ten years, and he has served as an expert witness on a number of occasions.

Prior to establishing PCS, Mike was the chairman and CEO of Saipem Australia Pty Ltd, a pre-eminent Australian/International pipeline construction company. And prior to that he worked for the investment bank Capel Court. His career in the oil and gas industry started with roles in the Northern Territory Government and in the Power and Water Authority. Less than six years later, he was serving as the Director of Energy in the Northern Territory.

Over the last 30 years, Mike’s experience has encompassed:

• senior government positions that demanded both policy and commercial responsibility for gas and electricity marketing;
• the negotiation of gas purchase and transportation agreements;
• and the negotiation of electricity sales, purchase, and infrastructure development agreements;
• designing and implementing tariff and project structuring;
• providing expert advice to both corporate and Government clients;
• involvement in numerous asset disposals and acquisitions;
• managing numerous energy supply, strategic planning and tendering exercises;
• managing the tender and negotiation of reticulation development works for regional government bodies in Victoria;
• establishing regulated third party access and tariff arrangements for gas pipeline systems; and
• developing third party access policy for gas pipelines and infrastructure.

While Mike’s work has been focused on the Australian market, he has had experience with international clients, including firms from Korea, PNG, Indonesia, and Thailand. In 1992, Mike led the team which successfully tendered and constructed the Thappline multiproducts liquids pipeline in Thailand and has led and worked with teams involved in electricity developments and resource industry acquisitions and disposals in Australia and overseas.

In 1994 Mike completed an involvement with Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria/Macquarie Corporate Finance in regard to the proposed acquisition of an interest in the Moomba-Sydney pipeline. In 1994 and 1995 Mike project managed a Western Mining Corporation/Macquarie Corporate Finance project team responsible for structuring the Goldfields Gas Pipeline. In 1995 he also became heavily involved in the application of new laws regarding third party access to essential infrastructure and undertook a path-breaking role with a major Australian corporate to design the access policy and tariffs to be applied to its major new pipeline and power station assets.

From 1993 to 1996 Mike assisted MIM Petroleum Exploration Limited to secure access to the Kutubu Oil Pipeline in PNG and the supply of gas from south west Queensland to Mt Isa. In this period, Mike also continued his involvement in the application of third party access legislation, with his role managing the development of an Open Access regime for the Victorian Government’s Gas Industry Reform Unit. In this role Mike took a leading role in the drafting of the Pipeline Access Code (the “Code”), in particular the drafting of the Pricing Principles.

Mike also assisted the Councils of East Gippsland Shire and Mildura Rural City by preparing and managing the strategy to procure a reticulated gas supply for the respective regions. The focal point of that process was the tendering and negotiation of a code-based development agreement acceptable to the Councils, the successful tenderers and the Victorian Regulators. Given the uncertainty that prevailed at that time regarding the changing regulatory and operating environment of the gas industry (the Code was not finalised and the competitive tendering model embryonic), the preparation of these documents and the delivery of a satisfactory outcome for the regions was an extremely complex task.

From 2000 to 2002 Mike’s involvements included project management of a major gas procurement project whereby Ergon Energy sought to purchase in excess of 1000 PJ of gas from PNG and other gas producers. This role encompassed all aspects of strategy design (including a market entry strategy), strategy execution, counterparty relations and contract negotiation. Ergon Energy is the Queensland Government owned electricity retail and distribution company holding the franchise to service all of Queensland except the south east conurbation of Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

In the last decade Mike has focused on the development of Energy Matrix Group while continuing his consulting activity and growing PCS.  PCS has transitioned into the consulting arm of the Energy Matrix Group.  Mike’s extensive experience in the negotiation of gas and electricity sales and transmission contracts, both as a buyer and a seller, has underpinned the establishment of gasTrading, Agora Gas, and Agora Retail. Now a flourishing business with a team of 16, offering a range of energy sector services Energy Matrix Group is bringing Mike’s vision of a more flexible and efficient market for gas to reality. His experience in managing the procurement of energy supplies, the management of major development projects and the commercial structuring of pipeline and power supply projects and contracts, tariffs and open access arrangements adds a depth to his expertise which equips him thoroughly to assist project developers. 

Mike served on the executive committee of the Australian Pipeline Industry Association for three years and was President of the Association in 2002. He is currently a member of the Gas Advisory Board in Western Australia.