International Gas Union President Jérôme Ferrier officially opened the 26th World Gas Conference in Paris yesterday at the Palais des Sport in Porte De Versaille.
In his opening remarks to more than 3,500 delegates, Mr. Ferrier said that far from being a transitional fuel, gas should form the foundation of the world’s long-term energy mix. Setting the tone for the conference, Mr. Ferrier hailed the event as a unique opportunity for the industry to unite behind the conference theme: Growing Together Towards a Friendly Planet. “Over the triennium, I have tried to place natural gas at the heart of the energy debate and the future of our planet,” he said.
Addressing the need to increase the pace at which natural gas should replace coal in order to reduce CO2 emissions, he continued: “The optimal energy mix for power generation rests on a mix of natural gas and renewables.”
Mr. Ferrier’ speech was followed by contributions from Patrick Pouyanné, Chief Executive Officer of Total, and Gérard Mestrallet, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Engie. Both organisations are host sponsors of the event. Mr. Pouyanné told delegates: “Total has opted for gas. We’re convinced that gas has to play a major role in the global energy mix.”
Mr. Mestrallett echoed the same sentiment, saying that gas has a major role to play in leading the transition to the de-centralisation, de-carbonisation and digitalisation of the global energy mix. He called for a global carbon price to be set within a business dialogue: “We need a global carbon price to mitigate against high CO2 fuels, whilst stimulating innovation and growth in the less polluting industries.”
Delegates from 91 countries, representing 95 percent of the global gas market, attended the opening ceremony.
