Australia’s Omega Oil & Gas has appointed Martin Houston, former chief operating officer of BG and co-founder of Tellurian, as non-executive chairman.
OMA said on Monday Houston brings over four decades of global experience in the oil and gas industry, including leadership roles in exploration, production, and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Houston retired from BG, now part of LNG giant Shell, in 2014 as COO and executive director after a 32-year tenure.
Following his retirement from BG, Houston co-founded US LNG firm Tellurian, where he
most recently served as executive chair, overseeing its sale to Australia’s Woodside in October 2024.
Houston also has deep ties to the Australian energy sector, having led the development of the Queensland Curtis LNG (QCLNG) project and BG’s exploration program in the Taroom Trough from 2010-2014, OGA said.
Currently, Houston is a non-executive director of Energean, BUPA Arabia, and CC Energy.
“This appointment is further validation of the potential global significance of the Taroom
Trough and marks an exciting new chapter for Omega as it pursues its vision to unlock one
of Australia’s largest and most exciting undeveloped gas resources,” OGA said.
Houston said in the statement that he is “delighted to join Omega at such a pivotal moment in its journey.”
“The upcoming multistage hydraulic fracture stimulation and flow testing of the Canyon-1H well represent a transformative milestone, not only for Omega but also for the Taroom Trough as a
potentially significant, future gas producing region in Australia,” he said.
“This project holds the potential to unlock significant gas reserves near existing east coast gas infrastructure, contributing significantly to Australia’s long-term energy security,” Houston said.