World Gas Conference 2012

KUALA LUMPUR : The World Gas Conference (WGC) 2012 is almost coming to an end as the outgoing president of the International Gas Union Datuk Dr Abdul Rahim Hashim handed over the presidency to Jerome Ferrier.

The next WGC will be held in France.

Ferrier said the 26th WGC will be held in Paris from June 1-5, 2015. The theme for the new triennial work programme would be "Growing Together Towards a Friendly Planet".

The hand over is a reminder that the conference is ending soon and delegates are seen utilising the limited time they have to gain as much as they can from this conference.

One of the topics discussed was "The Case For Natural Gas". Speakers talked about natural gas which has enjoyed a phenomenal growth and has emerged as the fuel of choice in many consuming sectors, but has come under a lot of pressure as the perception started to change.

In the light of growing environmental concerns and the evolution of energy companies the role of natural gas has been questioned. Due to this development, IGU has initiated a global effort to defend natural gas and put forward a strong case as part of its advocacy work with the key stakeholders.          

The panel examined the extent of these efforts, the degree of success achieved and debate the next steps for the IGU and the industry.

Other reports and latest updates on the event are as follows:

The World Gas Conference in Kuala Lumpur takes place this year in the heart of the Asian region where energy hungry economies such as China and Japan are driving rising gas demand. The same countries are wrestling with how to ensure short-term oil supplies if the flow from Iran is disrupted.

Global gas demand could rise by more than 50% between 2010 and 2035 and account for a quarter of the world's energy mix, overtaking coal to become the second largest primary energy source after oil, the International Energy Agency has projected. Read here for full report.

India's GAIL Ltd has around $1 billion to spend on shale gas assets in North America, which will act as a hedge against planned imports of U.S. liquefied natural gas, the company's managing director said on Thursday.

"We need gas, so equity gas is also required," B.C. Tripathi told reporters. GAIL signed a deal with U.S.-based Cheniere Energy in December to buy 3.5 million tonnes of LNG a year under a 20-year contract starting from 2017. Full report here 

In a celebration at the Traders Hotel Datuk Dr Abdul Rahim Hashim, President, International Gas Union (IGU), 2009-2012 Triennium, officially handed over the IGU Presidency for the 2012-2015 Triennium on behalf of Malaysia, to IGU Vice President and Senior Vice-President of TOTAL, France, Jérôme Ferrier. 

Since 1931, the International Gas Union has been organising the World Gas Conference (WGC) every three years. The WGC conference and exhibition has become the most important international meeting of the sector. At the end of each IGU Presidency Triennium, the host country is accorded the privilege to host the World Gas Conference. Read here for full report

China's annual gas demand is expected to rise to 350 billion cubic meters by 2020 and 550 Bcm by 2030 from 130 Bcm in 2011, a top official with state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation said today.

Zhou Jiping, CNPC's president, said that China may surpass Russia to become the world's second largest gas consumer by 2030. China is currently the world's fourth largest gas consumer after the US, Russia and Iran, he said.

"China's gas sector is well positioned for rapid growth, our current per capita gas consumption is far below the world average which does not match our pace of social and economic development," Zhou said. Read here for full report.

China has the potential to overtake North America and become the world’s leading producer of shale gas by 2030, a poll conducted yesterdayhas revealed. 81 per cent of participants thought that China will become the largest shale gas producer in the next 18 years, while 19% thought that it will not.

The Industry Snapshot Poll was conducted by global independent technical advisor GL Noble Denton on the second full day of the World Gas Conference. The poll was also completed online by senior professionals from across the industry. Read here.

Source: MOLE