Gas Industry Leaders Forge Plans For Volatile Times at EAGC Next Week

The European Autumn Gas Conference (EAGC) will unite Europe’s gas industry leaders to examine and debate the contemporary challenges facing the industry today. The EAGC will be a stimulating platform for exchanging ideas and an ideal setting for meeting key gas contacts. This year’s theme, “Forging a prosperous pathway through volatile times,” seeks to divide and reunite speakers and delegates by discussing matters concerning our energy future, the sustainability of renewable subsidies, what’s driving liquidity in European trading and the necessity of new pipeline projects. Held 9-10 November in Berlin, the EAGC is one of Europe’s longest running annual gas conferences. This EAGC’s highly regarded line up of speakers will provide their own interpretation on many controversial gas matters. Also playing a critical role in their association with the EAGC is the host, RWE Supply & Trading, and the sponsors E.ON Ruhrgas, eni, Gazprom, Gas Strategies, Gasunie, South Hook Gas, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Energy Intelligence. The conference will begin with special keynote speaker, Günther H. Oettinger, European Commissioner for Energy, European Commission, before James Ball, President Director of Gas Strategies, leads a panel debate alongside Beate Raabe, Director of EU Affairs, International Association of Oil & Gas Producers and Claire Spottiswoode, Chairman of Gas Strategies & Former UK Gas Regulator. The panel debate will examine the role that regulation will play in any future role for gas, and whether we should trust market forces to manage the industry effectively. Crucially, the session will also ask if gas is much more than just a ‘bridge’ fuel, but rather a ‘destination’ fuel for the long-term benefit of the continent’s economies as we move towards greener choices of energy consumption. Guy Broggi, Head of LNG Supply, Total Gas & Power, will be addressing the issue of supply and demand. “In the current battle to win contracts for new LNG from Asian Buyers, there are so many potential LNG projects that one can wonder whether European buyers could take advantage of the continuation of the current gas Bubble far beyond 2015. We will endeavour to put this question into perspective, mixing available commercial and technical knowledge of one of the big LNG players on the worldwide arena with public news releases and experts analysis,” said Mr Broggi. “Looking at the programme, there are particularly relevant issues that have been included for discussion, like for example the relationship between gas, the cleanest fuel available, and a renewable source of energy, or the delicate balance between market forces and energy policy interventionism, and how to address the need for new gas supply investments in the current market environment,” said Domenico Dispenza, Chief Operating Officer at eni. Mr Dispenza will also be speaking on gas supply investment at the EAGC. Rashid Al-Marri, General Manager for South Hook Gas, will be speaking on LNG supply into the UK and how this helps to address the nation’s gas demands in times of supply volatility; “I am delighted to be representing South Hook Gas at this year’s European Autumn Gas conference in Berlin. South Hook Gas Company is a UK-based LNG import company, which owns and manages all of the regasification capacity as well as System Entry Capacity at the South Hook LNG Terminal at Milford Haven in Wales. We have supplied LNG to the UK market every day since April 2009, South Hook Gas is powering the nation through LNG.” said Mr. Rashid Al-Marri, General Manager of South Hook Gas. The EAGC also host a top-level debate on one of the hottest topics in 2010: the “battle of the pipelines”, as Europe pushes urgently towards diversifying its gas supply routes through Nabucco, South Stream and Nord Stream. The debate will provide an insight into which might be most successful and how this could alter current EU dependency. Marcel Kramer, the new CEO of South Stream, will weigh in with heavyweight panelists including Stefan Judisch, CEO of RWE Supply & Trading, Uwe Fip, Senior Vice President of Gas Supply East at E.ON Ruhrgas, Paul Van Gelder, new CEO of Gasunie, plus Joschka Fischer, the former Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister of Germany. Klaus Schäfer, CEO of E.ON Ruhrgas, will make his speech at the high-level Gas Leadership Panel Session 10 November. "We attach great importance to the European Autumn Gas Conference. It is a highly appreciated venue for discussing key developments in the gas industry and overall prospects for our business. Natural gas producers and supply companies meet to share views on security of supply, climate protection and technical developments. E.ON Ruhrgas is proud to be associate sponsor of this year’s event which will mark the 25th anniversary of the EAGC." Mr Schäfer was recently appointed CEO of E.ON Ruhrgas in August this year. Alaa Abu Jbara, Marketing Director, Qatargas, will also speak on the Gas Leadership Panel Session to discuss what is required to cultivate and champion the European gas industry in a time when energy diversification, supply and security are uncertain. For further information and to register your attendance at the EAGC conference, please visit the EAGC website www.theeagc.com. Follow the EAGC on Twitter http://twitter.com/EAGCConference to keep up to date with the latest event news and information at the Conference.