Merlin Advisors
Focused technical advisory services to the LNG, gas, oil, pipeline and energy industries.
Merlin Advisors (Merlin) provides lender and investor technical due diligence services, construction and operations monitoring, technology evaluation, project risk assessments, LNG project benchmarking, and LNG project pre-feasibility studies.
Merlin is wholly owned by Poten & Partners and has been involved in over 75% of lenders’ technical due diligence for LNG and FLNG export projects, as well as numerous other hydrocarbon and pipeline industry projects. Poten is prominent across shipping and commercial/marketing due diligence for natural gas and LNG project investors.
- Independent technical assessment of technical risks and the likelihood of on-time start-up.
- Design, technology, cost, schedule and project management assessment.
- Evaluation of start-up readiness, reliability and production capability.
- Clear and credible technical advice and assumptions for financial modeling.
- Project monitoring from final investment decision through operations.
- Assessment of progress, costs, performance and contractual compliance.
- Emerging issues and their potential impact on delivery and cost.
- Clear, timely reporting to lenders and investors.
- Evaluation of LNG process technologies, licensors and major equipment.
- Efficiency, capacity, availability and maintainability assessment.
- Technology maturity, operating history and scale-up risks.
- Technology selection and strategic decision-making.
- Assessment of risks that may affect project delivery and value.
- Execution strategy testing against cost, schedule and performance requirements.
- Comparative assessments using real-world project experience and data.
- Support equity investors, developers and financiers in evaluating project opportunities.
- LNG project benchmarking against comparable developments and industry experience.
- Cost, schedule, performance and delivery outcome assessment.
- Comparative assessments using project experience and technical data from our database of LNG projects.
- Independent insight to support investment and project-finance decisions.
- Assessment of LNG opportunities at an early development stage.
- Preliminary design basis and suitable technologies.
- Order-of-magnitude cost and schedule estimates.
- Rapid, cost-effective studies that help decide whether to proceed to full feasibility.
At Merlin, we combine technical and commercial expertise to assist clients with complex process industry projects. Our global capabilities span the entire energy value chain, supporting projects currently under development, under construction, or operating worldwide.
- Our expertise covers natural gas, LNG, upstream facilities, onshore/offshore pipelines, processing, power, storage facilities and fuels.
- We are renowned for our pragmatic and highly responsive approach and provide a level of project support that financial and legal advisors agree stands far ahead of the competition.
- As the preferred independent consultant for major projects, we are trusted to provide expert advisory services and focused reports with clear conclusions.
Our clarity and expertise is trusted by ECAs, investment banks, commercial lenders, equity investors and multilateral institutions.
A sample of our typical clients include:
Merlin Advisors provides technical consulting services across the LNG, gas, oil, pipeline and energy industries. We have unrivalled experience and in-depth understanding of floating LNG and onshore LNG projects. Our services are complemented by Poten’s LNG commercial, market and shipping advisory services.
Merlin Associates was founded in 1983 and merged into Poten & Partners’ technical consulting group in 2013. The new entity, named Merlin Advisors, is wholly owned by Poten and has grown into a company with a network of leading engineers, technical consultants and advisors.
Merlin has been at the forefront in providing technical advisory services since the 1980s, where we acted as the lenders’ technical advisor on the Northwest Shelf Project in Australia, the first LNG project financing. We have no EPC or process technology parent company and no actual or perceived conflict of interest with respect to technology or EPC contractor selection.
Our credibility, our complete independence, and the commitment we offer, has resulted in us acting as the lender’s technical advisor on many of the largest, most challenging and technically advanced, LNG, gas, oil and pipeline industry projects.
We continue to be involved at the leading edge of industry firsts, including the first floating LNG projects to undergo project financing. We have significant and current experience in advising and supporting ECAs, as well as international commercial banks including those from the US, China, the Middle East and Europe.
Together with our Poten colleagues, we have an unparalleled depth and breadth of experience across all facets of the natural gas, LNG and energy business, from technical and shipping through to market and commercial.
Our Global Head, Raj Gopal, is based in the UK and has over 30 years of experience in the energy sector. He has provided technical due diligence and advisory services for over 25 years and has experience with commercial lenders, ECAs and multilaterals for the project financing of LNG, gas, oil and pipeline projects in the US, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. Raj is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.
Our tight and focused team is comprised exclusively of experienced industry professionals with a flawless track record for facilitating project financing and investment transactions. We do not delegate tasks to junior engineers, nor do we use automated AI systems. Our analysis relies on real-world professional experience to provide unrivalled risk project assessments and advisory services.
Merlin operates as a seamless technical and commercial interface with the Poten advisory team worldwide. We are dedicated to providing you with the quality of service expected from over 60 years of combined industry experience.
