Blue Sky Infrastructure is a Houston, Texas based company focused on providing infrastructure solutions to safely capture, transport, and permanently store CO2 for large industrial emitters seeking to decarbonize. Blue Sky was founded in 2020 by former Cheniere Energy executives with experience developing, financing, commercializing, constructing, and operating large-scale infrastructure projects. Blue Sky is a portfolio company of private equity funds managed by Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager with over $950 billion of capital under management.
Our Team
Oliver Tuckerman
Co-President and Founder
Oliver Tuckerman
Prior to founding Blue Sky in 2021, Mr. Tuckerman was Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy at Cheniere Energy. Mr. Tuckerman worked at Cheniere for 8 years, guiding and supporting all business efforts to develop, construct, and commercialize over $35 billion of US Gulf Coast LNG liquefaction terminal infrastructure, the $1.3 billion (220-mile) Midship natural gas pipeline (including execution of the $500 million Midship equity financing), a 600 MW natural gas to power project in Chile, and a 1 million ton per year carbon capture and sequestration system in Louisiana. In addition, Mr. Tuckerman sourced and evaluated acquisition opportunities and new business ventures, which included multi-billion dollar LNG infrastructure developments in Western Canada, Mexico, and New Jersey. He has extensive financing execution experience having spent his first 3 years at Cheniere working for the CFO in a financial capacity supporting efforts to raise over $25 billion of debt and equity capital, including participating in a $700 million IPO roadshow.
Prior to Cheniere, Mr. Tuckerman worked in investment and commercial banking for ~7 years, including making project finance loans to fund energy and infrastructure projects in North America. Mr. Tuckerman received a M.B.A from Southern Methodist University, a B.A. in Economics from Kenyon College, and is a CFA Charterholder.
Michael Manteris
Co-President and Founder
Michael Manteris
Prior to founding Blue Sky in 2021, Mr. Manteris worked 8 years at Cheniere Energy where he held department head and business development roles. From 2017-2021, Mr. Manteris was Vice President of Upstream Infrastructure, where he was responsible for project development and execution, business development, and commercial services for Cheniere’s pipeline assets. In this role, Mr. Manteris executed over $2B of FERC-regulated natural gas infrastructure (including Midship Pipeline, Corpus Christi Pipeline, and other compression and meter station projects) and managed a team of 24 full time employees. As President of Midship Pipeline, Mr. Manteris led the development, commercialization, permitting, and execution of the 240 mi, 1.44 bcf/, $1.3B greenfield project, including signing four foundation customers to 10 year take-or-pay agreements with $1.2B of committed revenue, managing five major construction contractors, and securing easements and access on over 800 tracts of land. Mr. Manteris served as a Board Member of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) and was elected by INGAA member companies to serve on the Steering Council. Mr. Manteris’s prior roles at Cheniere included responsibility for originating and evaluating organic growth opportunities for the company.
Before Cheniere, Mr. Manteris worked at Chesapeake Energy, helping secure long term firm natural gas transportation capacity and long term and structured natural gas and NGL sales, including long terms sales agreements to industrial energy consumers. Mr. Manteris received a M.A. from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. from Georgetown University.
Jalal Jalali
Vice President Subsurface
Jalal Jalali
Mr. Jalali joined Blue Sky in 2022 to manage reservoir engineering, CO2 plume modeling, site characterization, and the technical aspects of the Class VI permit application. Prior to joining Blue Sky, Mr. Jalali served as Senior Reservoir Engineer for Advanced Resources International (“ARI”), where his responsibilities included reservoir modeling and optimization of CO2 geologic sequestration and EOR projects, test well interpretation, and developing UIC Class VI well permit applications. Prior to ARI, Mr. Jalali served as Senior Reservoir Engineer for both EQT and Eclipse Resources focused on unconventional oil and gas development. Mr. Jalali started his career with Occidental of Elk Hills in 2009 as a Reservoir Simulation Engineer, where he developed reservoir flow models for the company’s fractured reservoirs in the San Joaquin Basin.
Mr. Jalali holds a B.Sc. degree in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering from University of Tehran, and both M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Petroleum & Natural Gas Engineering from West Virginia University. His recent published papers include “Large Volume CO2 Storage and Plume Management in the Southern U.S.” and “A New Theoretical Approach to Estimating Pore Pressure for Gas-in-Place Calculations in the Marcellus Shale”.
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Andrew Chartrand
Vice President Regulatory, Environmental & Sustainability
Andrew Chartrand
Mr. Chartrand joined Blue Sky in 2022 to lead the environmental, permitting, and regulatory work for Blue Sky’s proposed infrastructure. Mr. Chartrand has 28 years of experience in environmental, safety, and sustainability for natural gas pipelines and LNG terminals. Prior to joining Blue Sky, Mr. Chartrand most recently served as Senior Director, Safety, Environmental & Sustainability for Sempra Infrastructure where he led the environmental permitting and health and safety functions as well as the company’s sustainability strategies for large-scale LNG development projects and operations. He was responsible at Sempra Infrastructure for leading these functions in the U.S. and Mexico across several projects including the company’s joint venture in Cameron LNG, the development of the Port Arthur LNG Project, the development of liquefaction facilities at the Energia Costa Azul LNG terminal, and operations at the existing Energia Costa Azul regasification terminal in Mexico. As the sustainability lead for Sempra Infrastructure’s LNG and Net Zero Solutions business, Mr. Chartrand led the development of the company’s strategies for lowering carbon emissions, which included projects such as the Hackberry Sequestration Project in Louisiana and the filing of a Class VI permit application with EPA.
Prior to Sempra Infrastructure, Mr. Chartrand served as Vice President of Environmental for Tellurian where he led all work associated with securing the permits and authorizations for the company’s Driftwood LNG terminal. Mr. Chartrand also served as Director of Environmental and Regulatory Projects for Cheniere Energy, where he led the permitting and environmental work associated with the company’s Corpus Christi Liquefaction Project from project development through construction. Earlier in his career, he led environmental permitting work for natural gas pipeline companies, including Spectra Energy and Boardwalk Pipelines. Mr. Chartrand holds a B.S. degree from Bucknell University.
Mark Jones
General Counsel
Mark Jones
Mr. Jones joined Blue Sky in 2022 to manage the legal affairs of Blue Sky and to assist with regulatory and permitting efforts. Prior to joining Blue Sky, Mr. Jones worked at the law firms of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Porter Hedges LLP, and Holland & Knight LLP and as in-house counsel at Devon Energy Corporation and GeoSouthern Energy Corporation.
Mr. Jones’ practice has been in a variety of corporate, transactional, and other commercial matters representing public and private companies. He has focused primarily on the upstream and midstream segments of the energy industry and has advised on corporate mergers and acquisitions, acquisitions and divestitures involving oil and gas assets, oil and gas development transactions, master service agreements, engineering, procurement and construction contracts, drilling contracts, and oil and gas purchase and sales agreements.
Mr. Jones received a B.B.A. in Marketing from Texas Christian University and a J.D. from South Texas College of Law.
Nabil Arwadi
Vice President Project Execution
Nabil Arwadi
Mr. Arwadi Joined Blue Sky in 2022 to lead the project execution work for Blue Sky’s proposed infrastructure. Mr. Arwadi has 33 years of experience in the planning, design and execution of domestic and international oil and gas pipeline transportation projects. Prior to joining Blue Sky, Mr. Arwadi most recently served as Director, Major Projects and Project Development for TC Energy where he led the successful development of $4.5 Billion project in Mexico and led the execution of $1.3 Billion portfolio of Domestic Projects ranging from greenfield gas compressor stations to brownfield horsepower replacement and expansions.
Prior to TC Energy, Mr. Arwadi served as Vice President of Pipeline Execution at Tellurian where he led the development, planning and permitting support work associated with the company’s Driftwood Pipeline. Mr. Arwadi also served as Vice President, Project Execution for Cheniere Energy, where he led the execution of the Creole Trail Pipeline reversal and the development, design, permitting support and execution of the company’s Corpus Christi Pipeline. Earlier in his career, he was engaged in the execution of various major international gas pipeline projects with Bechtel. Mr. Arwadi holds an M.B.A. from George Washington University and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Catholic University of America.
Tim Watson
Director Geology
Tim Watson
Mr. Watson joined Blue Sky in 2022 to lead the geological and geophysical site characterization, geological modeling, and to assist with subsurface operations and Class VI permit applications. Prior to joining Blue Sky, Mr. Watson worked for over 5 years at Noble Energy during which time he led the Permian Geoscience team, developed earth models in the Unconventional Reservoir Systems team, and served as geological advisor on the Global New Ventures team. While in the Permian Business Unit, Mr. Watson managed a team of 9 direct reports in delivery of 50+ wells per year and an annual capital budget exceeding $400 million. Additionally, Mr. Watson led acquisition, analysis, and integration projects for over 400 feet of core and reprocessing and integration of more than 420 sq. mi of 3D seismic. In support of Noble’s corporate risk registry, Mr. Watson developed and implemented Noble’s seismic monitoring and response plan enabling permitting and development of the company’s saltwater disposal wells.
Prior to Noble Energy, Mr. Watson worked for 10 years in the Oil and Gas industry, beginning his career as a geophysicist at ConocoPhillips, and then Rosetta Resources in various development and new ventures roles. Mr. Watson holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Geosciences from Pennsylvania State University.
Preston Shaw
Director Finance
Preston Shaw
Mr. Shaw Joined Blue Sky in 2022 to manage financial and strategic activities of the company. Mr. Shaw has 7 years of experience in corporate development and strategic planning with a focus on large-scale LNG liquefaction facilities, FERC-regulated pipelines, and small-scale LNG infrastructure. Prior to joining Blue Sky, Mr. Shaw served as a Senior Analyst, Corporate Development and Strategy at Cheniere Energy. At Cheniere, Mr. Shaw worked on multiple pipeline projects, the development of Corpus Christi Liquefaction Stage 3, and various small-scale liquefaction opportunities. Mr. Shaw holds a B.S. in Materials Science and Nanoengineering from Rice University with a minor concentration in Computational and Applied Mathematics.Our Board Members
JP Munfa
JP Munfa
John-Paul (JP) Munfa is a Senior Managing Director in the Private Equity Group based in New York.
Mr. Munfa worked at Blackstone from 2004 to 2009, and following the completion of an M.B.A., rejoined Blackstone in 2011. Mr. Munfa has been involved in the execution of Blackstone’s investments in Cheniere Energy Partners, Global Offshore Wind, PBF Energy, GridLiance, Utility OneSource, Lonestar Generation, Apria Healthcare, TRW Automotive, and Seaworld Parks & Entertainment. He is currently a director of Cheniere Energy Partners, GridLiance, and Global Offshore Wind. Prior to joining Blackstone’s Private Equity Group in 2006, JP worked in Blackstone’s Restructuring & Reorganization Group from 2004-2006, where he was involved in the execution of several restructuring and M&A transactions.
JP received an A.B. in Economics from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he graduated as an Arjay Miller Scholar.
Mitchell Nimocks
Mitchell Nimocks
Robert (“Mitchell”) Nimocks is a Principal in Blackstone’s Private Equity Group. Since joining Blackstone in 2019, Mitchell has focused on investments in midstream energy assets, energy efficiency and business services / equipment consistent with energy transition and climate solutions themes. He has been involved in Blackstone’s investments in Blue Sky Infrastructure, Cliff Swallow, Olympus and Therma. Mitchell serves as a Director of Blue Sky and Olympus. Before joining Blackstone, Mitchell was a Vice President at Riverstone, an energy-focused private equity firm. Prior to that, he was an Investment Banking Analyst at Credit Suisse in the Global Energy Group. Mitchell received a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Tufts University, where he graduated cum laude and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Michael Latchem
Michael Latchem
Mike Latchem is the founder and former President and CEO of Lucid Energy Group, having sold the company to Targa Resources in 2022. From 2011 until the sale to Targa, he led Lucid through three successful investment iterations across the Midland and Delaware basins in West Texas and New Mexico. Most recently, Mr. Latchem led Lucid through a recapitalization in 2018, then grew the company 500% over a four-year period to become the largest privately held midstream gathering and processing company in the nation. He also led Lucid through the process of being the first midstream company to successfully receive EPA approval and IRS 45Q qualification for injection wells dedicated to permanent and secure storage of carbon dioxide. His previous roles include executive and officer positions with Tenaska and Crosstex (predecessor to EnLink). Mr. Latchem holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Oliver Tuckerman
Oliver Tuckerman
Prior to founding Blue Sky in 2021, Mr. Tuckerman was Vice President of Corporate Development & Strategy at Cheniere Energy. Mr. Tuckerman worked at Cheniere for 8 years, guiding and supporting all business efforts to develop, construct, and commercialize over $35 billion of US Gulf Coast LNG liquefaction terminal infrastructure, the $1.3 billion (220-mile) Midship natural gas pipeline (including execution of the $500 million Midship equity financing), a 600 MW natural gas to power project in Chile, and a 1 million ton per year carbon capture and sequestration system in Louisiana. In addition, Mr. Tuckerman sourced and evaluated acquisition opportunities and new business ventures, which included multi-billion dollar LNG infrastructure developments in Western Canada, Mexico, and New Jersey. He has extensive financing execution experience having spent his first 3 years at Cheniere working for the CFO in a financial capacity supporting efforts to raise over $25 billion of debt and equity capital, including participating in a $700 million IPO roadshow.
Prior to Cheniere, Mr. Tuckerman worked in investment and commercial banking for ~7 years, including making project finance loans to fund energy and infrastructure projects in North America. Mr. Tuckerman received a M.B.A from Southern Methodist University, a B.A. in Economics from Kenyon College, and is a CFA Charterholder.
Michael Manteris
Michael Manteris
Prior to founding Blue Sky in 2021, Mr. Manteris worked 8 years at Cheniere Energy where he held department head and business development roles. From 2017-2021, Mr. Manteris was Vice President of Upstream Infrastructure, where he was responsible for project development and execution, business development, and commercial services for Cheniere’s pipeline assets. In this role, Mr. Manteris executed over $2B of FERC-regulated natural gas infrastructure (including Midship Pipeline, Corpus Christi Pipeline, and other compression and meter station projects) and managed a team of 24 full time employees. As President of Midship Pipeline, Mr. Manteris led the development, commercialization, permitting, and execution of the 240 mi, 1.44 bcf/, $1.3B greenfield project, including signing four foundation customers to 10 year take-or-pay agreements with $1.2B of committed revenue, managing five major construction contractors, and securing easements and access on over 800 tracts of land. Mr. Manteris served as a Board Member of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) and was elected by INGAA member companies to serve on the Steering Council. Mr. Manteris’s prior roles at Cheniere included responsibility for originating and evaluating organic growth opportunities for the company.
Before Cheniere, Mr. Manteris worked at Chesapeake Energy, helping secure long term firm natural gas transportation capacity and long term and structured natural gas and NGL sales, including long terms sales agreements to industrial energy consumers. Mr. Manteris received a M.A. from Johns Hopkins University and a B.S. from Georgetown University.
Blue Sky Infrastructure’s storage locations were strategically selected to provide for the lowest cost CO2 transportation and sequestration solution in the region and the least complex permitting and execution pathway.
Our selection criteria included proximity to industrial CO2 sources, avoiding population centers, minimal subsurface complexity (e.g., faulting and lithological heterogeneity), avoiding existing artificial penetrations (e.g. existing oil and gas wells), minimal sensitive environmental resource impacts (including protected wetlands), and easy surface and utility access. In addition, we designed the pipeline route with no or minimal impacts to communities and sensitive environmental resources and planned for feasible crossings of jurisdictional infrastructure and congested utility corridors.
Blue Sky Infrastructure commenced the permitting process for multiple EPA Class VI CO2 injection wells and is preparing for key pipeline system permits.
Blue Sky Infrastructure’s River Parish Sequestration Project is expected to be ready to begin transportation and sequestration in 2026.
