18th EUROFORUM Annual Conference "Gas"

The European gas market has decoupled itself from global market events in the view of the International Energy Agency (IEA). The global demand for gas rose by 9 per cent in 2011, while demand fell in the same period by 2 per cent in Europe. In view of the comparatively high European gas prices and low prices for CO2 certificates, gas has not been as heavily utilised for the production of electricity as initially forecast after Germany's withdrawal from nuclear power. The stagnating demand for gas in Europe, the continued dependency on oil-indexed contracts and the yet to be achieved single market for gas present challenges to the European gas market.

The EUROFORUM Annual Conference "Gas" (23 to 25 October 2012, Berlin) focuses on the special features of the European gas market and its different national markets on the first day of the conference. As a representative of the gas-promoting nation of Norway, Thor Otto Lohne (Gassco) will discuss the contribution his country is making to the achievement of self-contained security of supply in Europe. Richard Pugh (Gazprom Marketing & Trading) will provide an overview of the British gas market and the importance of inter-continental trade. The experiences gained from cross-border gas trade between Germany and the Netherlands will be discussed by Stephan Follender Grossfeld (CEFIN). And Thomas Kleefuß (NET4Gas) will discuss the demands facing internal European infrastructures in order to achieve the single market using the example of the Czech Republic. The extent to which natural gas plays a major role in the change in energy policy will be demonstrated by Kurt Bligaard Perdersen (Dong Energy).

The expectations being placed on natural gas as an important element for future energy supply is another theme of the established EUROFORUM Annual Conference "Gas". Dr Ludwig Möhring (Wingas), Ulrich Danco (E.ON Vertrieb Germany) and Bettina Pohl-Lücke (Shell Energy Germany), amongst others, will discuss new structures for grid gas companies in the new market environment. Other topics include the regulation of the gas network, the expectations of the EU Commission and the demands placed on modern gas trade.