Korean traditional dance celebrates the opening of ANGVA 2009 in Donghae
Natural gas industry stands at the threshold of an energy revolution
Korea’s national vision of ‘Low Carbon, Green Growth’ and associated countermeasures against the ongoing climate, environmental and resource crisis, has been clearly expressed on the opening days of the ANGVA 2009 Conference and Exhibition. The venue, the proud City of Donghae, is alive with fluttering flags and beds of flowers, smiling faces and other signs of welcome – all conveying the generous hospitality that has greeted dignataries, delegates and visitors to the conference and exhibition.
“Amid the global economic crisis, we are facing various environmental issues such as climate change and securing natural resources. This is also the time when low carbon, green growth policy is needed,” Environment Minister Lee Maan-ee said at the opening ceremony, which was also included addresses by ANGVA President, Dr Chitrapongse Kwangsukstith.
Keynote addresses have been presented by Rich Kolodziej (President, IANGV), Kazunobu Onogawa ((Director, UNCRD), Kang-Soo Choo (CEO, Kogas) and Jong-Soo Yoon (General Manager, GE). Each pointed to the growing capacity, development and opportunity for natural gas powered transportation.
Sessions have stimulated discussion and provided learning opportunities for participants seeking to address critical issues associated with government support, infrastructure and public awareness. Clearly the industry is capable of making a major positive economic and environmental impact on national, regional and global levels, and stands at the threshold of an energy revolution where it will take a leading role into the future. Seoul, for example, has legislated that all new city buses shall be CNG-powered; Iran will have 1800 fuelling stations by 2010; China expects 2.5 million NGVs on its roads by 2020.
Questions were raised that need government and international agency responses, such as, why haven’t governments with deteriorating oil resources and increasing energy costs acted to save their countries millions of dollars and reduce emissions by millions of tons.
The event has also seen the culimination of the ANGVA 2009 Green Highways project. Participants in NGV convoys from several countries undertook linking in-country journeys along two legs that met in Seoul before driving across the mountainous autumn-coloured countryside to the final destination on the east coast of Korea.
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