(Gastech, 19.Sep.2024) — The third day of Gastech 2024 continued to forge the energy industry’s route towards achieving net-zero emissions and sustainable growth. Alongside a continued focus on the central role of natural gas and LNG, the day’s sessions championed innovative decarbonization solutions, such as hydrogen, low-carbon LNG, and nuclear energy. Gastech, through its inclusive platform, highlighted the interconnected nature of the global energy system, offering opportunities for collaboration across diverse energy sources and low-carbon solutions.
The hydrogen conference took center stage, underscoring the resource’s growing contribution to a balanced and sustainable energy future, as well as the importance of engaging a diverse range of stakeholders, energy resources, and sustainable solutions. With over 110 countries currently developing hydrogen strategies, the sector’s growth was evident throughout the conference and exhibition. During a session titled ‘accelerating commercial scale hydrogen deployment through the development of hubs,’ Kristine Wiley, VP, Low Carbon Energy Solutions at GTI Energy, made the case for greater cooperation across the industry: “Interconnectivity and sharing lessons learned is key. There are a lot of partners participating in different hydrogen hubs, and gathering information on what is working – and what is not – will help us learn, harmonize, and understand what works best for each community.”
Speakers from across the industry emphasized hydrogen’s versatility in decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors, and reiterated the need for a comprehensive energy strategy that includes diverse energy sources and fosters collaboration among private and public sector stakeholders. This was addressed during the plenary session titled ‘decarbonizing heavy transportation: collaborations to address the acceleration of climate technology solutions from development to deployment,’ which featured high-level speakers including Mark Brownstein, SVP of energy transition at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). Brownstein advocated for emerging energy solutions like hydrogen in enabling low-carbon growth in key energy-related industries: “we need to maximize our use of electrification in heavy transportation. Each alternative source has to be examined, and a strategy has to be developed for their decarbonization pathways.”
The conference also examined nuclear energy’s vital position in the global energy mix. Hon. Annie Caputo, a member of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, shed light on the barriers to widespread nuclear energy adoption during the Climatetech & AI conference session titled ‘nuclear energy as a catalyst for delivering a sustainable energy transition’: “We need to get to the point where key technologies are known and reviewed, enabling a much more efficient and streamlined approach to nuclear energy, and enhancing its weight in the industry.”
These high-level sessions were complemented by debates on carbon capture and its potential to improve the long-term viability of existing resources, including natural gas and LNG. Speakers from diverse backgrounds and industries highlighted the importance of embracing a wide range of technologies to create a coordinated, unified, and effective energy system. One notable panel, titled ‘harnessing new business models to navigate a complex CCUS value chain and achieve decarbonization goals,’ featured Claude Letourneau, President & CEO of Svante, who emphasized the need for supportive policy around CCUS to unlock transformative change across the energy sector: “In order to make CCUS lower-cost, we need to de-risk the infrastructure and ensure that government mechanisms steer the product in that direction.”
Celebrating the impact of the event so far, Christopher Hudson, President, dmg events, commented: “Gastech 2024 is showcasing the critical role of collaboration in enabling real and tangible change across the natural gas and LNG sector, as well as the wider energy ecosystem. As we set our sights on a sustainable, secure and balanced energy future, the conference provides an inclusive platform to share knowledge, create new partnerships, and champion the interconnected nature of this critical industry.”
As Gastech 2024 concludes tomorrow, industry leaders, policymakers, and energy professionals will unite to set ambitious targets and solidify strategies for leveraging natural gas, LNG, hydrogen, and climate technologies to enhance global energy security and reduce emissions in the years ahead.
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