CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

Business / Qatar Business

GECF adds value to UNECE debate on LNG’s green credentials

Published: 05 Jul 2020 - 08:21 am | Last Updated: 06 Nov 2021 - 08:49 am
Peninsula

The Peninsula

Doha:  The Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), the global platform of the leading gas producing nations, joined other stakeholders from around the world and added its voice into a discussion on the role of natural gas in a sustainably-driven future, at an event organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

The online dialogue, “99 minutes of LNG – trends, developments, and innovative enduses”, examined the need for a more vibrant natural gas industry, more so than ever, due to the long-term benefits it brings to the society.

The session was organised by the UNECE’s Group of Experts on Gas and featured speakers from the GECF and International Gas Union in addition to several UN Member States and their leading gas companies from Croatia, Germany, Indonesia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, and the United States.

The GECF was represented by Dr Hussein Moghaddam, Senior Energy Forecast Analyst at the Secretariat, who presented the latest data on COVID-19 impact on LNG markets and outlined longterm prospects for this fuel.

He also spoke in relation to one of the key messages of the event, which postulated that despite the current market environment due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the LNG industry is better placed than ever because of its massive contribution to decarbonising the world, as well as its longterm benefits to the society and the environment.

Focusing on the global policy orientations that might affect the future of the LNG market in particular and gas market in general, Moghaddam said: “While coal is still considered a critical source for energy security and affordability, particularly in Asia, coal development plans are being revised downward compared to previous years amidst low electricity demand and rising availability of alternative sources. There is, therefore, a real opportunity for coal to gas switching.”

“Further, gas and LNG can benefit from the climate policies being pushed out now due to their competitiveness and alignment with UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

The GECF is a regular contributor to the discussions of the UNECE Group of Experts on Gas. Its previous participation came at the 6th UNECE Session of Group of Experts on Gas, which was held in Geneva in March 2019.