The Criticality of Gas for a Sustainable Energy Innovation

Present in Oran, Algeria, to mark the official opening of the Algerian Gas Industry Association (AIG) 8th Symposium, Mr Andrea Stegher - The President of the International Gas Union (IGU) - delivered the Keynote Address to this prestigious regional event.

During his address, Mr Stegher emphasised the complexities of ideological approaches to Gas and its role in several geographies, where energy demand was projected to decline, and Gas was considered a temporary, necessary and unwanted solution.

In these jurisdictions, ideology-based policies prevented the Gas and Gas infrastructure investments support, banning or proposing to ban its use in some sectors. Government policies - however well-intentioned - must not create further uncertainty and energy insecurity by deterring investment in Gas supply and infrastructure.

Closer co-operation between government and industry is necessary to ensure that regulatory actions - such as the EU's Methane Regulations, for instance - are aligned with industry realities and do not hinder countries' ongoing efforts to achieve energy security through diversification of energy supplies.

From left to right: Mr Fariz Ghezali (Secretary General, African Petroleum Producers' Organization), Mr Andrea Stegher (President, International Gas Union) and Mr Farid Djettou (Vice President Exploration and Production, Sonatrach)

Mr Stegher argued that government policies - however well-intentioned - must not create further uncertainty and energy insecurity by deterring investment in Gas supply and infrastructure and, in his address, he highlighted that 'when looking - in a pragmatic manner - at data, we have a clear understanding of the increased energy needs that a growing global population, and a highly underserved share of it, require. So, if we are serious about meeting this increasing demand with a lower carbon intensity energy source, Gas becomes truly essential for the foreseeable future.'