The 17th International Conference and Exhibition on Liquefied Natural Gas LNG 17 attracts leading world experts and speakers

For Immediate Release

Over 5,000 industry professionals expected to gather and chart the course of LNG in the future

16 October 2012, Houston, Texas - The liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry’s top executives and senior decision-makers from major producing and importing countries are confirmed to speak at next year’s largest global gas event.

The 17th International Conference and Exhibition on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG 17), will take place from April 16 – 19, 2013 in Houston, Texas. It is anticipated that LNG 17 will attract approximately 5,000 senior technical, commercial and strategic experts from over 80 countries. Attendees will have the opportunity to visit more than 300 exhibitors, hear from top-level speakers and attend a variety of networking events.

The scope of the program has expanded to cover strategic, commercial and regulatory issues for the first time, with hundreds of industry experts lined up to speak. For the first time, LNG 17 will feature a new Global Strategy Forum and six Spotlight Sessions addressing the most significant trends, challenges and opportunities facing the industry today and in the future.

The Global Strategy Forum has the confirmed participation of Chief Executives from each of the major gas-producing regions, including: Antoni Llardén, President, Enagás; Maria das Graças Silva Foster, CEO, Petrobras; Wang Dongjin, Vice-President, CNPC; Tom Walters, President, ExxonMobil Gas & Power Marketing; Joseph C. Geagea, Corporate Vice-President & President, Chevron Gas & Midstream; Hamad Rashid Al Mohannadi, Managing Director, RasGas; and Pat Roberts, Managing Director, LNG Worldwide Ltd.

In the Global Outlook for LNG, world-renowned, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Daniel Yergin, will provide the most up-to-date analysis and forecast of trends in the global gas industry, with an emphasis on the role that LNG will play.

At a macro-economic level, Robert Lesnick, Oil and Gas Program Manager, The World Bank will cover The Opportunities for LNG to Stimulate Economic Development looking at how developing countries around the globe face an exciting opportunity to grow in a more carbon friendly manner. He will also address the role of government policy and natural gas-based industrial development and what the positive impacts are on local development.

The spotlight session on the North American LNG Market will cover the implications of North American LNG exports on global dynamics, with three speakers bringing insight and experience from very different parts of the US LNG market. Betsy Spomer, Head of Global LNG, BG Group will look at Gulf Coast imports and exports, Phil Ribbeck, President, Repsol Energy North America will concentrate on Atlantic Coast trade and Janine McArdle, Senior Vice President – Gas Monetisation, Apache Corporation will focus on Canadian West Coast exports.

Joining the line-up of industry luminaries addressing the conference is Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee, OAO Gazprom & Director-General, OOO Gazprom Export who is slated to deliver a session on The Role of Russia in the Global LNG Industry. The session will deal with issues surrounding Gazprom’s portfolio optimization and other exciting developments from one of the world’s largest gas producers.

Anders Ekvall, Vice-President LNG Americas, Shell will speak on Upcoming Trends in the Transportation Sector - one of the largest consumers of LNG - while Jean-Marie Dauger, Executive Vice President, GDF Suez will take the stage on Technological Innovation and Infrastructure in the LNG Industry. This includes a preview of new technological infrastructure advances, floating LNG projects and their impact in opening up new markets.

“We have received over 400 abstracts from leading industry professionals, which is the largest number ever submitted for this event. The exclusive conference sessions will consist of formal presentations, which have not been previously delivered, as well as highly focused workshops with topics on market, finance and technology issues related to the industry,” said David Carroll, President and CEO of Gas Technology Institute and President, IGU 2015 – 2018.

“LNG 17 will bring together all the major energy companies in the world to hear from industry experts on current developments, trends and opportunities for LNG in North America and around the world,” said said Larry Borgard, President and COO, Utilities, Integrys Energy Group; Chairman, AGA.

“Natural gas is helping to stimulate economic recovery in the United States and this conference will provide valuable information on potential growth markets like transportation, as well as an understanding of the global demand for natural gas and what that could mean for the United States in the future.”

To register for LNG 17, visit www.lng17.org or email: registration@lng17.org. Save $300 if you register by November 5, 2012.

About LNG 17

Hosted by The American Gas Association, LNG 17 is the only global industry event conducted by the gas industry – three industry organizations are responsible for the event: the International Gas Union, the Gas Technology Institute and the International Institute of Refrigeration

Liquefied natural gas industry faces skills crunch

Total has added its weight to the skills shortage debate, warning Julia Gillard of a looming crunch in the booming LNG industry.

Speaking at the World Gas Forum in Kuala Lumpur at the end of last week, Total chairman and chief executive Christophe de Margerie said he had raised the issue when he met the Prime Minister two weeks ago.

"It is true that in Australia, especially with a long-term view, it may become short of skills if you want to develop all of those LNG projects in the northwest (of Western Australia), Darwin and Brisbane," he said. "It's up to the government to see what they have to do. What we raised with the government is, 'Be careful'."

Total has a 24% stake in the $34 billion Ichthys development and a 27.5% interest in the under-construction $16Bn Gladstone LNG project in Queensland. Together, the projects will employ several thousand people while they are built.

With more than a dozen LNG projects representing about $200Bn in investment either under construction or planned for development here, competition for skills has already intensified and developers have looked overseas for labour.

Woodside Petroleum's Pluto LNG project relied on 457 visas to import skilled workers for specialised short-term jobs in the project's construction. A number of other LNG projects planned or being built are expected to use Enterprise Migration Agreements that allow the import of labour from overseas.

Companies such as Woodside and Royal Dutch Shell have also considered building plant components overseas to avoid higher labour costs in Australia.

Mr Margerie said labour issues were less significant in Darwin, where the Ichthys LNG plant would be built, as it was the only plant under construction there.

The issue was more apparent in Queensland given the number of competing projects, he said, with Total having sent expatriates from France and other nations to work on the development.

Mr Margerie confirmed Total would exercise its option to lift its interest in Ichthys from 24% to 30% in a matter of "days or weeks".

Separately, the head of integrated French energy company GDF Suez said Europe could meet its ambitious emissions targets at a significantly cheaper cost if it focused more on gas instead of renewable energy.

GDF Suez chairman and chief executive Jean-Marie Dauger said a greater focus on gas could shave E400Bn to E500Bn ($500Bn-$630Bn) off the estimated E1.2 trillion in costs by 2030 under Europe's emissions reduction plans. Using more gas to cut emissions could also protect 20-25 million jobs in Europe.

"Today this issue of economic optimisation of the energy mix simply cannot be ignored at a time of extreme financial and economic instability," Mr Dauger said.

"It is essential that the affordability of energy policies is seriously considered."

BPCL, Videocon Mozambique gas discoveries hold big reserves

Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL) and Videocon Industries' Mozambique gas discoveries may hold up to 100 trillion cubic feet of in-place reserves, the block operator said.

US energy major Anadarko Petroleum Corp said the total estimated recoverable natural gas resource in Offshore Area 1 was between "30 and 60 Tcf, and the current upside for total gas in place for the discovered reservoirs on the block is approaching 100 Tcf".

Bharat PetroResources Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of BPCL, and Videocon Hydrocarbon Holdings Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Videocon Industries, hold 10% stake each in Area--1.

Anadarko, which holds 36.5% interest in the block, plans to put up plants to liquefy the gas (liquefied natural gas or LNG) so that it can be shipped to consumption centres in cyrogenic ships. The two LNG trains will have the capacity to produce 5 million tonnes of liquid fuel each.

First gas exports from an initial train is expected in 2018 and the second train in 2010. A final investment decision is scheduled for late 2013, it said.

Anadarko said in a statement that its "Atum exploration well discovered another significant natural gas accumulation within the Offshore Area 1".

The Atum discovery well, which encountered more than 300 net feet (92 meters) of natural gas pay, is connected to the recent Golfinho discovery located approximately 16.5-km to the northwest in the Offshore Area 1.

"We estimate this new complex, which is located entirely within the Offshore Area 1 block, holds 10 to 30-plus Tcf of incremental recoverable natural gas resources," said Bob Daniels, Senior Vice President at Worldwide Exploration. "We plan to immediately commence a four-well appraisal programme of this complex, which has the potential to underpin a large LNG development."

The reserves are more than the 11 Tcf of resources in Reliance Industries' eastern offshore KG--D6 fields. RIL had in 2010 produced over 61 million standard cubic metres per day of gas from its KG--D6 gas discoveries before technical problems led to a drop in output. The output is enough to produce about 15 million tonnes of LNG per annum.

Anadarko estimates that there is sufficient gas in place in Area-1 for up to 10 LNG trains for a total of 50 million tons ayear of LNG capacity.

Cove Energy Mozambique Rovuma Offshore Ltd holds 8.5% interest in the block and Mitsui E&P Miozambique another 20%. The balance 15% is with Empressa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos (EIH), the national oil company of Mozambique.