Grant King, the Chair of LNG 18 and Origin Energy Managing Director, told Gas Today that the conference couldn’t come at a more critical time.
“By the time LNG 18 occurs, we would expect the LNG sector to be experiencing significant growth in supply as new projects come online in Australia and the United States. The LNG outlook remains strong, underpinned by global demand and the increasing role of LNG in the world energy mix.
“Australia is forecast to emerge as the world’s largest LNG exporter, with around 85 million tonnes per annum directed to offshore markets by 2017, overtaking Qatar.
“Growth in Australian LNG has been enabled, in part, by major technical achievements over recent years, helping us deliver the world’s first projects that converted unconventional gas to LNG in Queensland, and the world’s first floating LNG project at Prelude.”?
Mr King also commented on the low oil price the world is experiencing, and how the issue would be a focus at the conference.
“Given the current low oil price environment, the challenge for many of the delegates attending LNG 18 is to continue to innovate and drive technical advancements, which will help lower costs and enable additional capacity to be developed with confidence.”?
Since 1968, the LNG X series of conferences has been holding an LNG conference and exhibition every three years, alternating between exporting and importing countries. Over 5,000 participants are expected to attend the conference in Perth from around the world, and over 250 exhibitors from over 60 countries will be showcased.