مجلس التعليم » لأول مرة في الشرق الأوسط – السلطنة تنجح في استضافة المؤتمر الدولي لبحوث الغاز لعام 2020

18-02-2019

Oman News Agency

Muscat - In 2020, the Sultanate of Oman will host the prestigious International Gas Union’s 16th International Gas Research Conference (IGRC 2020), in collaboration with Oman LNG.

The event will be held at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC). The event will attract many senior level executives and technical gas experts from the global gas industry. The Conference will be hosted in the Middle East for the first time.

IGRC is a triennial event organised by International Gas Union (IGU), attracting over 1000 participants representing more than 40 countries. IGRC 2020 will highlight the research, development and innovation aspects of the ever-growing gas industry. Additionally, the esteemed event will bring enormous socio-economic benefits to Oman and promote the country as an important foothold to hold conferences, exhibitions and events. It will also leverage the Sultanate’s strategic location and enhance the country’s profile as a preferred destination for doing business.

The event could not have come at a better time, as 2020 marks a significant milestone in which Oman LNG will celebrate its twenty years of existence since its start of operations in 2000. Oman LNG was established through the visionary leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said by a Royal Degree in 1994.

According to the IGU, Oman supplies a critical 3 per cent of liquefied natural gas to meet demand in the international LNG trade and its volumes are pivotal in keeping the balance of supply and demand. With natural gas as the world’s cleanest and most efficient fossil fuel, Oman LNG plays an important role, bringing energy to many corners of the world, helping to diversify the country’s economy.

Oman LNG, as the longest existing IGU member in Oman, has exerted great efforts to bring prestigious gas events to Oman, to be able to showcase the multitude of wonders this country has in

abundance – from its strategic geographic location, well-developed venues to the beautiful natural splendour this country boasts.

The LNG industry is a significant contributor to a steadily increasing quality of life for citizens and residents in the Sultanate of Oman through its execution of a wide swath of social investment programmes through Oman LNG Development Foundation that addresses many economic and social needs. Export of Oman’s first cargo was in 2000 and since then, proceeds from the blossoming trade have supported, what some observers have described, as an ambitious diversification programme that has spurred growth in other important sectors of the economy including tourism, agriculture and spreading vital infrastructure that support business and daily life.

Harib al-Kitani, CEO of Oman LNG said, “We are very grateful and humbled by being able to bring such a prestigious event to Oman.

The IGRC 2020 will bring over 1000 senior leaders, partners and experts in the gas industry together to share invaluable insights into the role of natural gas today, amid critical gas discoveries and a booming gas industry, and in the future. The competition was very intense and the voting decision by 30 members of the IGU Executive Committee marked Oman as the next destination for such a prestigious conference. Such outstanding success is attributed to the on-going cooperation between the International Gas Union and Oman LNG, with the support of the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre”.

Rodney Cox, Events Director of the International Gas Union stated, "The International Gas Union (IGU) is very pleased to welcome Muscat, Oman as the Host of IGRC 2020. IGU Charter Member, Oman LNG, has been an active contributor to IGU and hosting IGRC 2020 builds on this ongoing support. We look forward to an outstanding conference that supports both IGU's global objectives, as well as a legacy for the natural gas industry in Oman and the region".

The Sultanate of Oman is widely recognised as a global leader in enhanced recovery technologies. This is largely thanks to the country's focus on research and the key reason behind Oman’s application to host IGRC 2020 was to further Oman’s ambition of becoming a knowledge economy and to transform the commodity reliant country into one that helps shape the world’s thinking. The congress will help Oman realise its vision and help contribute to disseminating the best practices and research in enhanced oil and gas recovery.

Dr. Hisataka Yakabe, General Manager of the Fundamental Technology Institute, Tokyo Gas Co. said, "We hope that the IGRC will meet the aspirations of all the participants, stimulate the gas business of Oman, and provide technological insight into the industry".

Said al-Shanfari, CEO of the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) added, “It is a privilege to be able to showcase Oman and OCEC as the leading venue of choice in the Arabian Gulf and we will be honoured to host the 2020 IGRC Conference. OCEC has now won 22 international and regional conferences that will be hosted in the Sultanate over the next few years contributing over RO 24.5 million (USD 63.5 million) and we look forward to welcoming the IGRC delegates from April 2020". The Director of Oman Conference Office at the Ministry of Tourism, Khalid al-Zedjali said, "We are delighted to share efforts with Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) to promote business tourism in the Sultanate".

The world-class OCEC has been built specially to attract and accommodate international events such as this and includes a 3,200- person theatre, 22,000 sq. metres of pillar-less exhibition space plus 55 other meeting and reception spaces. Also, the centre offers two ballrooms (including the largest ballroom in Oman). A' Narjis Ballroom can accommodate 540 guests for a banquet or 1,000 guests theatre style while Al Irfan Ballroom can seat 1,200 people for a sumptuous dinner or up to 7 breakout areas for a convention. Both ballrooms feature a column-free space with subtle Omani design details as well as the very latest in audio-visual support. Moreover, OCEC has a multi-storey car park with a capacity for more than 4,000 vehicles.