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Ben Apple, Principal

Ben’s broad understanding of the carbon markets and mining industry enables project designs that safely operate in compliance with stringent regulations and rigid mining plans. Ben has designed multiple emission reduction technologies that are currently operating in the U.S. and Asia, and has developed emission reduction quantification tools used by numerous mining companies. Ben began working in the climate change industry for an investment bank in Germany when the Kyoto Protocol was initially implemented across Europe. He has worked for several domestic and international corporations since, where his accomplishments included hands-on operations of mine methane destruction equipment, writing emission reduction protocols in the mining and agricultural industries, designing multiple methane abatement systems, and conducting numerous feasibility studies for the application of emission reduction technology. Ben most formed ECC in order to bring a greater emphasis on safety and operational efficiency to mine methane capture projects. Ben began his career by serving as an officer for five years in the U.S. Air Force and one year as a United Nations Military Observer. Ben is a distinguished graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy where he focused on mechanical engineering, mathematics, and lacrosse, holds an MSIE from Northeastern University, and an MBA from The Wharton School.

Santosh Lakhan, Principal

Santosh’s experience in global energy, mining, and strategic management industries is the basis for our successful service of ECC’s diverse clientele, including the largest public and private energy companies in the U.S. Santosh oversees the application of complex economic and regulatory scenario modeling for development and investment opportunities, and manages the development and operations of projects to ensure emission offsets are generated to satisfy investors and customers. Santosh worked for 7 years as a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and The Boston Consulting Group, serving in the energy and mining practices. The focus of his work related to environmental risk management, operational performance, and feasibility assessments. He then joined an international emission offset project developers, where he was in charge of planning and developing the company’s flagship mine methane capture project. Santosh started his career in South Africa, where he worked at coal mines and power generation stations owned by ESKOM. Santosh then joined the Mining Technology division of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research as a Design and Development Engineer. Santosh holds an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business, a Graduate Diploma in Industrial Engineering, from the University of Witwatersrand, and a BSME from the University of Natal.

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