(Yicai) May 23 -- The World Gas Conference, which is the most high-profile event in the global gas industry, was held in China for the first time this year. Featuring the largest exhibition space in the event’s history, the conference attracted more than 200 energy companies, including global heavyweights such as Royal Dutch Shell and BP as well as Chinese giants such as PetroChina and Sinopec.

More than 3,000 government officials, business executives, representatives from international organizations as well as experts and scholars from over 70 countries attended the event which was held from May 19 to 23 at the China National Convention Center in Beijing. More than 40 percent of the participants came from abroad.

This year’s World Gas Conference featured the theme “Energising a Sustainable Future.” The event held more than 80 high-level forums and was spread across 50,000 square meters of exhibition space.

Green Theme

One of the standout themes of the conference was green energy. For example, the Japan Gas Association showcased its “e-methane” technology, which uses hydrogen and carbon dioxide to synthesize methane. The carbon dioxide produced after full combustion can be recycled and reused through capture-utilization-storage technology to create a closed, eco-friendly loop.

The Japan Gas Association aims to achieve carbon neutrality by replacing 90 percent of the country’s city gas with e-methane by 2050, a representative told Yicai. The association also hopes to promote this technology in more countries, including China, through this exhibition to support their own carbon-neutral goals.

Shenergy Group also presented its latest work in green energy. The Shanghai-based company is partnering with local farms and waste treatment plants on biogas recycling, which purifies waste to produce green methanol.

Shenergy signed a deal with Shanghai Chengtou Group, Shanghai Huayi Holdings Group and Shanghai International Port Group in September last year to build a plant that will produce 100,000 tons of green methanol per year. The goal is to supply this fuel to ships docked at the port. The facility is expected to be up and running by the end of this year.

The World Gas Conference, organized by the International Gas Union, was first held in London in 1931 and takes place every three years. It is often referred to as the “Olympic Games” of the gas industry.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Kim Taylor