2018 LNG Conference Preview: Realizing LNG's Potential

There’s no doubt – LNG has profoundly transformed the energy landscape over the last decade. But with new opportunities come new challenges, and from rising prices to worries of oversupply, gaps in infrastructure to the threat of competitive renewable resources, the global LNG market has many obstacles ahead. Such uncertainty, fueled by great opportunity, demands collaborative discussions to achieve genuine progress.

The upcoming 2018 LNG Conference will bring together industry experts from all over the globe to discuss these topics and provide invaluable insight into this integral industry’s future. CID is proud to sponsor this unmissable event, and preview its main topics of discussion. If you have not registered yet – there’s still time!

Understanding a Dynamic Market

Last year, LNG consumption grew by 9.6% – the market’s single largest year-on-year increase. Given the various factors that influence the global demand for LNG both positively and negatively, it is significant to note that the net change in its international consumption was positive. Will this trend persist?

Although industry forecasts say it will, a quick survey of other global energy trends paints a different picture: coal prices are rebounding but remain low; the cost of wind and solar have fallen 23% and 73% since 2010, respectively, and rising oil prices threaten LNG’s claim as the cheapest source of fossil fuel energy.

What will these trends mean for the future of LNG? Eero Vanaale of Royal Haskoning DHV and Mark Bell of the Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel will help us see past the headlines by sharing their expert insights on the marketplace and LNG’s competitors.

Innovating The Industry: Small-Scale LNG

While the industry faces its fair share of challenges, it also presents tremendous opportunities for innovation. This will be a key theme in the upcoming conference. One particular innovation that will receive great attention is small-scale LNG.

From meeting the demands of the transportation industries to providing fuel to remote locations, small-scale LNG promises to be a flexible industry that can bridge some of the shortcomings of the current large-scale industry. Specifically, the less capital-intensive nature of small-scale LNG projects makes them more resilient to the ever-shifting market forces and price fluctuations.

With major companies such as Shell, ENI, and Gazprom already involved in the market, which is expected to grow to 100 million yearly tons by 2030, small-scale LNG is certainly a topic to watch. To dive into the needs of this industry, representatives from two of its key stakeholders, Skangas and Klaipėdos Nafta, will exclusively share their perspectives with the conference attendees.

LNG: The Marine Fuel of the Future?

LNG-powered ships are expected to become as disruptive to the maritime industry as electric cars have been to the automotive industry. This shift has already started: there are already 119 LNG-powered vessels operational, and 125 more that will join them soon. These statistics show that the marine industry is betting on LNG’s potential as a marine fuel.

There are, however, many problems that need to be solved in order to realize the full potential of LNG as a marine fuel. These include finding new bunkering solutions, creating new infrastructure, and ensuring that ports are ready for this new type of ship. Thankfully, the 2018 LNG Conference will feature a great array of speakers that will address all aspects of these challenges: port representatives, major industry stakeholders, service providers, and more. By registering for the conference, you will have access to cutting edge intel on the future of marine LNG.

Experiencing the Future

How could a discussion about the future be complete without experiencing it firsthand? The 2018 LNG Conference has this covered with a visit to the Megastar, an LNG-fueled fast ferry, on the second day of the conference. Over 200 meters long and capable of transporting close to 3,000 passengers, the Megastar is an industry-leading example of the future’s environmentally-friendly and LNG-fueled maritime transportation solutions.

Conference attendees will be treated to an exclusive tour of the Megastar, allowing them to experience how it operates firsthand. This hands-on experience will provide attendees with an unparalleled insight into one of the most important future uses of LNG fuel.

An ‘Unmissable’ Event

From an expansive topic list and an array of expert speakers, to hands-on site-experiences and high-level networking, the 2018 LNG Conference is the ideal event for those interested in getting exclusive and in-depth insight into the future of the LNG industry in Europe and worldwide. To view the full agenda, click here.