Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) was the sponsor and biggest exhibitor at the World Gas Conference 2022 (WGC 2022) that took place at EXCO (Daegu Exhibition & Convention Center).
WGC 2022, presented by the International Gas Union (IGU) and organized by the Korea Gas Union (KGU,) is a triennial event. It was the world’s biggest event in the energy sector. Korea, the venue of WGC 2022, has chaired the IGU for the past three years.
Seoul and Busan made a bid to host World Gas Conference in 2002 and 2011, respectively, but failed. In 2014, Daegu was granted the right to host WGC 2022, which was originally scheduled for last year, was put on hold for one year due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
WGC 2022 was held in an in-person format thanks to easing restrictions against the pandemic. Global energy experts and global energy companies from about 90 countries participated in WGC 2022, which was held under the theme “A Sustainable Future-Powered by Gas.”
Participants discussed a variety of issues, such as roles of natural gas, hydrogen and renewable energies, which have emerged as energy sources to cope with climate change.
WGC 2022 also covered the direction of future energy policies, such as advanced countries’ expansion of hydrogen and renewable energies, net-zero policies and energy security issues, coupled with the Russia-Ukraine war.
Among the participants were delegations from global energy leaders such as Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Qatar Gas, and Cheniere Energy. WGC 2022 comprised of the IGU General Assembly, conferences and exhibitions.
KOGAS President Chae Hee-bong delivered his keynote speech in which he stressed differentiation strategies to simultaneously achieve several issues, such as energy security, price stabilization and carbon neutrality in the rapidly changing energy market.
“KOGAS will leap a global green energy era of carbon neutrality, evolving beyond a big buyer of in the LNG market by building a virtuous energy business structure considering energy security in a short- and mid-term perspective and energy transition in a long-term perspective,” he said.
KOGAS CEO Chae had a meeting with 12 major energy companies to build cooperative regimes in order to jointly cope with energy security crisis, ramp up the stability of LNG supply and build infrastructure to introduce clean hydrogen and secure core technologies in the hydrogen business.
KOGAS showed off Korea’s representative natural gas and hydrogen business leader’s status by displaying the value chains of LNG and green hydrogen, new growth businesses such as LNG bunkering and LNG/hydrogen hybrid reception facilities at its pavilion.
KOGAS also set up the “Shared Growth Pavilion,” a window designed to promote shared growth with Korean gas and hydrogen SMEs.
The pavilion was designed to help Korean companies introduce their excellent technologies and products and enter and explore global markets.
About 500 Korean and foreign opinion leaders were former UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, Executive Director Fatih Birol of the International Energy Agency (IEA), and Qatari Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, who participated as key speakers.
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