Energy Leaders Identify Diversification into Greener Energy as Priority for 
Long-Term Business Growth and Net-Zero Ambitions
 
Gastech Virtual Summit Strategic Conference Featured The Gas, LNG and Energy 
Industry's Most Powerful Decision Makers 

The closing remarks of the Gastech Virtual Summit have taken place today. The 
Summit has put the spotlight on the importance of gas in the growing demand for 
energy globally and highlighted the resilience of the industry in the face of 
price volatility, COVID-19 and the changes to the environmental agenda. Gas 
companies are now energy companies, with the shared mandate to drive a low 
carbon energy future.

Chan Chun Sing, Minister of Trade & Industry for Singapore, opened the Summit 
on Monday 7 September, immediately bringing to the fore the theme that has 
continued throughout this week, the Gas, LNG and Energy industry will evolve 
and adapt to meet the net zero carbon ambitions by mid-century. During the 
opening Chan Chun Sing said; "As the LNG hub of the region, our government and 
gas industry in Singapore have embarked on many initiatives across the value 
chain. These serve to promote innovation in the sector and the adoption of more 
environmentally sustainable energy strategies."

Gastech has a successful history of attracting the industry's top CEOs as 
speakers. The renowned strategic and technical conference programmes featured 
more than 200 speakers, in 89 conference sessions and presentations. Over 1,500 
delegates participated in the global Gas, LNG and Energy industry's premier 
knowledge exchange platform. Issues impacting the future of the industry; 
energy security of supply; affordability and sustainability; the prospects for 
demand and investment recovery; and changes to supply in a post COVID-19 world 
have remained top of the agenda.  

Honourable Seamus O'Regan, Minister for Natural Resources of Canada addressed 
the delegates during a Keynote on Monday, leading on the Summit's mandate for 
the energy transition, stating "just as our goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 
needs our oil and gas industry, our oil and gas industry needs net-zero." 
O'Regan also added, "We must move now on our common mission, a net zero economy 
by 2050, a global economy that continues to grow, and an energy transition that 
leaves no one behind."  

Joseph McMonigle, Secretary General of International Energy Forum opened Day 2 
of the conference with a Keynote Address, he said, "The pandemic increases the 
stakes by pushing the demand gap out further over the next decade. This opens a 
new window of opportunity that enables the gas industry to play a larger role 
in achieving climate, clean air, and energy access goals."

The conversation on the collective response needed for the energy transition, 
and the strategies and innovation that will shape the future of the industry 
continued throughout the Summit. Both Thomas Siebel, Author, Chairman & Chief 
Executive Officer at C3.ai and Eugene Kaspersky, CEO, Kaspersky delivered 
Gastech Tech Talks on digital transformation, Internet Of Things and Security 
and the criticality of technology for the energy future.  

Pratima Rangarajan, CEO of OGCI Climate Investments addressed climate change.  
She said, "Energy is at the heartbeat of all this activity, but just 
decarbonising the energy system does not solve the climate problem. That is why 
it's imperative for us all, even within the energy industry to take a system 
view of everything we do and work together on decarbonising our ecosystems." 

Hydrogen's potential to play a key role in a clean, secure and affordable 
energy future was discussed this week, with De La Rey Venter, Executive Vice 
President, Integrated Gas Ventures of Shell saying; "How important is hydrogen 
really in the context of our climate aspirations? Bluntly put, it is mission 
critical." Hydrogen will play an important role in decarbonising the energy 
industry, this week Gastech Hydrogen Exhibition and Conference was launched, 
co-located with Gastech, the event will enable those driving the development of 
Hydrogen and those investing to convene in Singapore next September.   

Driving the Gas, LNG and Energy Industry towards a cleaner energy future, the 
Summit's speakers included Lorenzo Simonelli, Chairman, President & CEO of 
Baker Hughes; Maarten Wetselaar, Integrated Gas & New Energies Director and 
Member of the Executive Committee at Shell; Laurent Vivier, Senior Vice 
President Gas, Total; Mike Sabel, Co-CEO, Co-Chairman and Founder, Venture 
Global LNG; Jerome Schmitt, Chairman, Oil & Gas Climate Initiative; Alex 
Volkov, Vice President, Global LNG Marketing, ExxonMobil; Francis Fannon, 
Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources, United States 
Department of State; Shawn Tupper, Associate Deputy Minister of Natural 
Resources, Canada; Hon. Dale Nally, Associate Minister of Natural Gas and 
Electricity, Government of Alberta; Irtiza Sayyed, President, ExxonMobil LNG 
Market Development Inc; Prabhat Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, Petronet 
LNG; Atsunori Takeuchi, Executive Officer, Senior General Manager of LNG 
Optimization & Trading Department, Tokyo Gas; Faisel Khan, Chief Financial 
Officer, Sempra LNG; Anatol Feygin, Chief Commercial Officer, Cheniere; Thomas 
Siebel, Author & Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, C3.ai; De La Rey Venter, 
Executive Vice President, Integrated Gas Ventures, Shell; Niek den Hollander, 
Executive Board Member Uniper SE; Keisuke Sadamori, Director, Energy Markets 
and Security, International Energy Agency; Sanjiv Lamba, Executive Vice 
President, APAC, Linde; Thorbjoern Fors, Executive Vice President, Industrial 
Applications, Siemens Energy and Dan Feldman, Partner, Shearman & Sterling.

Nick Ornstien, Vice President Energy for dmg events said: "The Gastech Virtual 
Summit has delivered advanced insights into the latest commercial strategies 
and trends dominating the Gas, LNG and Energy industry, providing delegates 
with fast track information on how best to align business models for the 
post-pandemic landscape."

The Gastech Virtual Summit 2020 was being held in place of the Gastech 
exhibition and conference, scheduled to take place in Singapore this week. dmg 
events and the Gastech Governing Body, in consultation with Enterprise 
Singapore and the Singapore Tourism Board collectively took the decision to 
postpone that event, to 13 – 16 September 2021, due to concerns around the 
global pandemic, accessibility and the wellbeing of speakers, delegates, 
exhibitors and visitors.

About Gastech

For almost 50 years, Gastech has been at the heart of the Gas, LNG and Energy 
conversation. As the world starts to emerge from the shadow of COVID-19, the 
Gastech Virtual Summit will engage with, and address, the key issues and most 
promising opportunities for the Gas, LNG and Energy industries in the 4th 
industrial age.

Taking place from 7-11 September 2020, Gastech Virtual Summit will provide 
leadership and direction as the Gas, LNG and Energy industries seek to strike a 
balance between business priorities and their licence to operate, in a post 
COVID-19 world. With an emphasis on technology innovation; supply and demand 
dynamics; evolving partnerships; people and talent and governance and 
influence, the Summit will set the agenda for the global Gas, LNG and Energy 
industries for decades to come.

For more information please visit: www.gastechevent.com. 

Follow us on social media @Gastechevent and use #GTVirtualSummit and #Gastech 
for the latest soundbites and news updates as the event happens!

SOURCE: Gastech Virtual Summit 2020