IGU’s Vice President Opens the Proceedings of NATURGAS 2025

As Latin America’s and Caribbean’s most prestigious natural gas conference and exhibition, NATURGAS 2025 is the voice of the “global south”, with this year’s edition being attended by representatives from across 30 countries, amassing an impressive 150 speakers and over 120 exhibitors.

With over 2,000 attendees coming together under the auspices of the Columbian Natural Gas Association in Baranquilla, Colombia, NATURGAS 2025’s objective is to address the current challenges and opportunities in the region’s natural gas industry, including international trends and public and regulatory policies, underpinned by the role of this valuable resource as a key vector for achieving a just energy transition.

In his opening remarks, our Vice President – Mr Andrea Stegher -  addressed the articulated approach that is needed between the regional national and private companies, governments and civil society across all countries in the global south to ensure that the energy transition doesn’t come at the cost of its availability and affordability:

“Natural gas will play a pivotal role in the energy future, just as it does now, and just as it did last year. In 2024 alone, 30% of the global energy demand increase was met by natural gas. Gas, particularly natural gas, is readily available and affordable and, unlike other carbon-intensive fuels, on combustion in certain applications it emits 50% less CO2 emissions.

Soon, in less than two months’ time, I shall become the President of the International Gas Union. It is my mission – as well as my lifetime’s work – to advocate for the role of Gas with capital “G” for a cleaner, better and more sustainable future not just for the generations to come, but for ourselves, too.

We need to take pride in our industry – in our global Gas industry – and in all of you present here today: your knowledge, your skills, your passion and your expertise can move the needle of our joint efforts to tackle climate change and its effects.

Many call this journey “energy transition” or “energy path”; it’s much more than this, and not as simple as this: it is a journey that we take together, a road that we’ll have to carve for ourselves, a search for those technologies and processes that will be tailored to what each of our countries needs, can afford to use, and can invest in the near future.”