Greetings from Eldar Sætre, President and CEO of Statoil ASA

z Eldar Sætre.

Statoil has been the host and sponsor of the IGU Secretariat since the transfer of the IGU headquarters from Copenhagen to Oslo on November 1, 2007. IGU celebrates its 85th anniversary in 2016 and can be proud of its history and achievements in contributing to the success story of gas, initially manufactured (town) gas and later natural gas. Global gas demand has increased from 2,000 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 1990 to about 3,500bcm in 2015, and the share of gas in the global primary energy mix has reached almost 24%. Statoil believes in the further growth of gas in the global energy mix.

For more than 40 years, oil and gas have been produced on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, and over the decades Statoil has become the second-largest supplier of gas to Europe.

The availability of natural gas for domestic and export markets has increased vastly in the past decade. This fact, combined with the environmental benefits that gas can offer, has made it clear that gas will play an increasingly important role in the transition towards a low-carbon and sustainable energy system worldwide.

The role of IGU has grown in importance in the wake of the 2015 COP 21 climate agreement to reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases. The gas industry is also contributing to reduced air pollution and improved living conditions for millions of families around the world. The recently agreed UN Sustainable Development Goals further emphasise the importance of access to clean energy.

IGU has become an important global communication channel, complementing the work done by Statoil and others. It has developed a close and active relationship with policymakers across the world, including with organisations such as the United Nations, the G20, the International Energy Agency and the World Bank Group. These institutions are highly influential when long-term energy policies are formulated at national, regional and global levels. It is important that IGU continues its dialogue with stakeholders outside our industry.

I am also pleased by the work of the IGU committees, at which industry experts come together to study technical and commercial issues along the whole gas value chain. The industry’s willingness to share competence and experience across borders is important to ensure continued growth for gas.

After nine years of host responsibility we hand the baton to Gas Natural Fenosa in Barcelona – the host and sponsor of the IGU Secretariat from November 1, 2016. I am confident that IGU will go from strength to strength under Spanish leadership, and wish Spain and IGU all the best for the future.

Eldar Sætre President and CEO Statoil