Leading international exhibition Gastech has opened in Thailand, with debates over energy security and diversification of supplies dominating the opening day agenda.
Anutin Charnviraku, Prime Minister of Thailand, said, “Gas and LNG will continue to play an essential role during the transition while we work to diversify supply, strengthen domestic energy security, improve efficiency, and reduce our expose to volatility in global markets. Today every government faces the same difficult question: how do we secure enough energy for our people and industries, while keeping prices affordable and moving to a cleaner future?”
Electricity demand is rising rapidly, spurred by industrial growth and , he added. “We need a transition that works in the real world,” he said.
Southeast Asia is expected to account for around 25% of global energy demand growth through to 2035. According to Shell’s LNG outlook, global LNG demand could reach 700 million tonnes a year by 2050, .
HE Francisco da Costa Monteiro, from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources Nigeria, reiterated the importance of diversification of resources, as well as – a clear learning from the Middle East crisis and reduction in LNG and helium supplies from Qatar.
©Gastech / HE Akanat Promphan, Minister of Energy
HE Akanat Promphan, Minister of Energy, Thailand, said the future of LNG is not about increasing volumes but building a more resilient and interconnected global system.
“Energy security has become a shared priority for every nation,” he said. “This year we introduce the Bangkok dialogue to work out how we can work together to make energy more secure, affordable and accessible to everyone.”
Christopher Hudson, President, DMG Events, said this year’s event, the 54th edition, will attract 50,000 attendees from 150 countries along with 800 exhibitors, and a similar number of speakers. New conferences this year include electrification and AI for energy.
“This reflects the convergence of our industry,” he said. “It’s the molecules to enable progress and the grid to distribute it.”
He said Gastech 2026 meets against a backdrop of six months of shocks to pricing and shipping, leading to greater fragmentation and risk.
“But despite this daily uncertainty, the world needs more energy not less,” he said, adding that Gastech facilitated $60bn in agreements and investments last year.
Rob McGreevy, Chief Product Officer at Aveva, said the “overarching opportunity” lies in closing the execution and operational gap, moving away from legacy systems towards digital technology that integrates data and provides continuous optimisation.
“It means integrating operational data with enterprise data – ERP, engineering systems, geospatial data, weather – to build AI systems that reflect the full complexity of the real world,” he said.
