Industry support grows for next World Gas Conference

Owned by the International Gas Union (IGU) and hosted by the Korea Gas Union, the main aim of the event is to promote the role of natural gas in a sustainable future. WGC 2021 has strong support from the Korean Government, Daegu Metropolitan City, a National Organising Committee made up of almost 50 influential members, and the event’s host sponsor, KOGAS.

According to the statement, the National Organising Committee (NOC) will be the largest of its kind ever created for a global gas event. The NOC was launched in December 2016, and includes over 50 institutions, including the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, local government and other public corporations of the Republic of Korea, energy companies and associations. Amongst others, gas industry major players on the NOC include Hyundai LNG Shipping, Samsung Heavy Industries, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Posco Energy.

The theme for the Korean IGU 2018-2021 Triennium is ‘A Sustainable Future – Powered by Gas’. Under this theme, the following three areas of strategic focus have reportedly been established in order to guide the work and efforts of the IGU Committees and Task Forces, which in turn will provide the framework for the WGC 2021 Conference Programme:

• Environmental Leadership: Overcoming challenges, improving efficiency and advocacy for policy and public acceptance.
• Market Vitality: Affordability, flexibility and strategic partnership and policy cooperation.
• Value Creation: Technological innovation, renewable energies and accessibility improvement.

As well determining the conference session topics, the committees will also review and select speakers for each session through the ‘call for papers’ process, which will open in May next year.

June 2021 will be the first time that this triennial conference and exhibition has been held in South Korea, one of the world’s top LNG importing countries, and home to KOGAS, the world’s largest LNG importing corporation.

WGC 2021 NOC Chairman Young Doo Kim is the Acting President and CEO of KOGAS and the Chairman of Korea Gas Union said: “Korea is expanding LNG bunkering facilities as the market is expected to grow from 310 000 t in 2022 to 1.36 million t in 2030, under stricter environmental regulations. The investment will also be used to increase LNG refuelling facilities for vessels and vehicles at port and cargo terminals by 2020”.

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/28052019/industry-support-grows-for-next-world-gas-conference/