Gastech to highlight region’s evolving hydrogen industry

Hydrogen will dominate the talks this week at one of the biggest global energy conferences of the year, to be held in the UAE.

World leaders in energy transition and pioneers in evolving hydrogen and other clean fuel technologies will take centrestage at Gastech, an exhibition and conference, which will run from September 21 to 23 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Around 15,000 visitors and delegates are expected to attend the event, which is among the biggest to take place since the onset of the pandemic.

It will highlight the role of hydrogen, a critical fuel that is helping in decarbonising the global energy system.

Gastech, which is a global showcase of the natural gas sector, will have a dedicated hydrogen stream to highlight technological advancement and investment being channelled into the sector.

The UAE and Qatari energy ministers, as well as the managing director and chief executive of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, are among the speakers at the conference. Energy ministers from Turkey, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Portugal and Azerbaijan, along with the chief executive of Opec, will also be in attendance.

“Gastech 2021’s strategic conference will address the hard facts about the transition to net-zero carbon emissions and the enormous challenge the industry, regulators and end-users will have to embrace to meet the commitments of the Paris Accord on climate change mitigation and support the industry leadership in drawing up the road map to a carbon-neutral and sustainable future,” said Christopher Hudson, president of dmg events, which is organising Gastech.

The focus on energy transition and hydrogen come amid growing interest from oil-exporting nations such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia in developing the clean fuel for domestic use, as well as to forge new trade relations.

Earlier this year, Abu Dhabi-backed entities including Mubadala Investment Company, Adnoc and holding company ADQ formed an alliance to develop a hydrogen hub in the country.

The UAE, Opec’s third-biggest producer, is also looking at possible uses for hydrogen in transport and manufacturing, and exploring the production of green steel.

Gastech will also include five learning streams – on hydrogen, marine, engineering procurement and construction and projects; artificial intelligence and technology.

The SPE Annual Technical Event, which will show the latest technologies in the oil and gas upstream sector, will take parallel to Gastech this week.

More than 150 engineers from global energy companies are expected to make presentations on technological breakthroughs in the industry.

“Co-locating ATCE with Gastech means visitors will be able to visit both events’ exhibitions without the need to register twice. It will also ensure our exhibitors gain maximum exposure to a broader audience of energy industry professionals, including the top decision-makers from all sectors of the industry,” Michelle Boyd, chief executive of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, said.