Changing Global Energy Markets Impacting MENA Gas

Dubai – UAE: 12th January 2015 – The 10th Gas Arabia summit will be officially opened by H.E. Dr. Matar Hamed Al Neyadi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy of the United Arab Emirates. H.E. will deliver the official opening keynote address on Defining the UAE Energy Roadmap.

Khaled AbuBakr, Executive Committee Member and Middle East and Africa Representative for the International Gas Union and Chairman of TAQA Arabia, who is also addressing the Summit noted "The Middle East & North Africa consists of more than 40% of the world’s Natural gas reserves, while the demand is always on the rise; sustainability, utilization and energy efficiency are the main key challenges facing the future of Natural gas. We need to maintain the development of the technologies, expand applications based on gas consumption, diversify our energy mix and do our best to efficiently use the resources we have. The 10th Gas Arabia Summit is the precise venue for leaders to discuss the future of natural gas in our region and exchange knowledge and knowhow as well as best practices for a greater future”

It is widely accepted that technological investment is crucial to develop the region’s gas resources and keep pace with ever increasing gas demand. Commenting on the opportunities Adnan Bu Fateem, Manager New Ventures for Mubadala Petroleum, stated “MENA holds substantial natural gas reserves and as the majority of these reserves are considered unconventional they will require advanced technology to extract. The impact of unconventional shale gas on the global market has proven to be dramatic and the 10th Gas Arabia Summit is a unique opportunity to exchange views on the unconventional business in MENA, its current status and the way forward."

Khaled AbuBakr and Adnan Bu Fateem are part of a speaking faculty made up of leading industry executives including Dr. Peter Bartlett, CEO of BAPCO, Mounir Bouaziz, VP MENA Region for Shell, Dave Campbell, Country Manager and VP operations for BP Oman, Dr Uwe Salge, General Manager for Wintershall Middle East, Qassim Al Riyami, Tight Gas Development Manager for Petroleum Development Oman and Simon Daman Willems, Managing Director for Basrah Gas Company.

Taking place from Tuesday 13th – Thursday 15th at the recently opened flagship Sheraton Grand Hotel in Dubai; the summit explores how technology transfer between IOC’s and NOC’s can progress the development of untapped gas resources thereby forestalling the much discussed impending gas deficit.

Halliburton and Shell have joined TOTAL, BP and Wintershall Middle East as corporate partners of the Summit, which is also being held in partnership with the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy. Nicola Mackay, project director for the summit commented “The support that the 10th Anniversary of the Gas Arabia Summit has received from across the region is testament to the critical role of gas development in the GCC. We are delighted to bring this truly pan-regional event to the UAE, to let the future agenda of gas be assessed and discussed.”