Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, Opens Gastech 2021 Exhibition and Conference  

His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Managing Director and Group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) sets out vision for low carbon future of the sector

Ministers from world’s leading energy economies and business leaders discuss role of gas, LNG, and hydrogen in meeting future demand for energy

Gastech brings together more than 15,000 global industry professionals in the gas, LNG, hydrogen, and energy sectors to map out journey to net-zero energy

22, September 2021:   H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, today opened Gastech, the world’s foremost exhibition and conference supporting the gas, LNG, hydrogen, and energy industry.

Delivering the opening address of Gastech 2021, His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) highlighted the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) leadership in natural gas and said natural gas will support the nation’s vision for economic growth as set out by the Leadership in the ‘Principles of the Fifty’.

“The ‘Principles of the Fifty’ is a mandate for progress driven by 10 guiding principles aimed at making the UAE the most dynamic economy in the world. Gas will play a pivotal role in this blueprint for growth, as the essential fuel stock for our downstream hub in Ruwais and our industrial joint venture,TA’ZIZ,” H.E. Dr. Al Jaber said.

His Excellency explained that the UAE is strengthening its position as a regional leader in natural gas and the emerging blue Hydrogen market. He attributed this leadership position to the foresight of the Founding Founder of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed, who recognized the enormous potential natural gas offered and the need to balance economic growth with environmental protection.

“Our Founding Father Sheikh Zayed's commitment to the environment and truly sustainable
development was the key driver. In 1973, at his direction, ADNOC stopped burning the associated gas from all its operations, and instead captured it and shipped it.

“In short,” H.E. Dr. Al Jaber added, “we turned an environmental liability into a commercial
opportunity. From that moment, when it came to gas, we never looked back. For almost fifty years the UAE has viewed gas in all its forms as one big opportunity, and we've built our gas business on a number of firsts.”

H.E. Dr. Al Jaber pointed out that the country was the first in the region to stop flaring and find economic uses for gas, the first to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, the first to produce ultrasour gas at an industrial scale, and the first to store carbon dioxide (CO2) and use it in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) to liberate more gas. 

The UAE is on track to achieve gas self-sufficiency as ADNOC leverages advanced technologies to expand into unconventional gas, tap into gas caps and unlock new reservoirs, as part of the company’s integrated gas strategy launched in 2018. “At the heart of this goal, is the expansion of our producing assets, like Shah and the development of new ones, like the unique Umm Shaif gas cap and the Hail, Ghasha and Dalma project,” H.E. Dr. Al Jaber said, as he provided an update on ADNOC’s progress.

“Construction of artificial islands is underway and we are leveraging our experience in world-class developments to ensure costs are minimized and commercial benefits maximized for all our partners. Together, these projects will deliver over 3 billion standard cubic feet of gas per day, enough to power several million homes.

“As the world consolidates its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, LNG and broader gas markets globally are tightening, with demand outpacing supply. Longer-term, the outlook is also robust, driven particularly by markets in Asia. Today, gas provides almost one-quarter of the world’s energy supply and will continue to play a critical role in the global energy system. No other fuel source can reliably supply the baseload power to heat and cool homes, drive heavy industry and expand economies, all while keeping emissions at a minimum.”

His Excellency added that as innovations are helping to make gas even cleaner and more sustainable, the UAE is applying technology to create zero-carbon fuels from gas such as Hydrogen. “Already at ADNOC, we produce about 300,000 tons of hydrogen a year. By leveraging our existing gas infrastructure and commercial-scale CCUS capabilities, the UAE can and will become a major player in the emerging blue hydrogen market.”

Concluding his remarks, H.E. Dr. Al Jaber extended an open invitation for partnership in the UAE’s gas industry, noting that building strong partnerships across the world is one of the key principles for the UAE’s economic vision. “This has always been at the center of our approach to growth and it will remain the key to the future.”

Marking the start of three days of high-level industry discussions that will shape policies and strategies to support sustainable, long-term growth for the gas, LNG, hydrogen, and energy industry, Gastech 2021’s official opening ceremony also featured a Ministerial Panel in which Ministers from the world’s leading energy economies shared insights on the role of natural gas in the energy transition, future directions on how to create a hydrogen economy and what roadmaps are needed to meet the growing demand for energy and cleaner fuels.  

Participating in the panel session were H.E. Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; H.E. Eng Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and President and Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Petroleum; H.E. Dr. Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkey’s Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, H.E. Arifin Tasrif, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia and H.E. Mohammad Barkindo Sanusi, Secretary-General, OPEC.

Speaking during the Ministerial Panel, H.E. Suhail Mohammad Faraj Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy, said: “Suhail Mohamed Al Mazroui: “Gas is a critical commodity used in houses as well as a key contributor to the economy and the industrial sector. Investors should create the right balance between focusing on sustainability in their production by adding no pressure on the pace of the development of countries. The UAE is supporting the transition to the Net-Zero energy as we are reducing the carbon footprint and reducing fossil by 50% in 2050.”

H.E. Mohammad Barkindo Sanusi, Secretary-General, OPEC, said: “We congratulate the UAE for hosting a global platform that gathers key industry players to discuss the challenges and opportunities in the energy sector. The world will continue to consume energy, as by 2045 the demand on oil is expected to grow by 28% and on gas by 26%. The world needs continuous, predictable, and adequate investments in energy, particularly in oil and gas, which is irreplaceable because of the scale of its contribution to the global energy mix. The global economy is expected to double by 2045 and the population will increase by 20%. This will require the investment community to invest in supporting the energy sector as there is no other resources available to cover more than 50% of what the market needs.”

The Opening Ceremony Ministerial Panel was the first of two on Gastech 2021’s opening day. The second Ministerial Panel focused on policies to support the rapid expansion of the hydrogen supply chain. Taking part in the discussion were H.E. Chief Timipre Sylva, Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Federal Republic of Nigeria; H.E. João Galamba, State Secretary for Energy, Portugal; H.E. Udaya Gammanpila, Minister of Energy, Sri Lanka; H.E. Parviz Shahbazov, Minister of Energy, Republic of Azerbaijan and H.E. Tawfiq e-Elahi Chowdhuri, Energy Minister of Bangladesh.

Gastech 2021, is being  held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and is supported by the UAE’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure. Gastech 2021 marks the first time the global gas, LNG, hydrogen and energy industry has been able to meet live and in person since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In keeping with Gastech 2021’s main theme Leading the Net-Zero Agenda, policy makers and business leaders from the global gas, LNG, hydrogen and energy industry also took part in a series of discussions focused on decarbonisation, investment, hydrogen and technology. Among the topics discussed were how organisations will need to work across multiple sectors to deliver on their low carbon commitments; financing future gas projects during the transition to Net Zero energy; integrating hydrogen into the existing energy ecosystem and how technology can drive the Net-Zero agenda.

Taking place over three days, the Gastech Strategic Conference will bring together over 300 government ministers, energy industry leaders, policymakers, and key customers to map out a future low-emission landscape. Key topics to be discussed include decarbonisation and emissions management; financing and project investment; adapting business models in a post-Covid world; integrated energy suppliers; gas and LNG supply and demand dynamics; the potential for hydrogen to play a key role during the energy transition; diversification of the future workforce; trading, contracting and pricing.

Simultaneously, the Gastech Technical Conference features five learning streams – Hydrogen; Marine; EPC and Project; Processing and AI and Technology. The programme will provide multiple opportunities for working professionals to learn from over 300 of the world's leading energy engineers as they present the latest technological breakthroughs and market opportunities for the industry.

Gastech 2021 is co-hosted by ADNOC, Shell, and Venture Global LNG. Before it closes on Thursday, September 23, Gastech 2021 will be attended by more than 15,000 attendees including senior decision-makers and energy industry thought leaders, and 250 exhibiting companies.

Taking place alongside Gastech 2021 is the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) enabling visitors to attend both events’ exhibitions without the need to register twice.