After Lyon, it's time for Katowice

From Lyon...

This year's Congress gathered about 2,000 delegates, more than 300 organizations (companies, associations and public institutions) and more than 100 sponsors and exhibitors. The conference part was attended by 68 speakers, a record number in the history of the event. Among the exhibitors were members of the Polish Liquefied Gas Organization such as Chemet Ltd, Otodata Technologies Europe Sp. z o.o., Vitkovice Milmet SA and Hexagon Ragasco.‍

This year, the organizers presented new features that further enriched the program of the Congress:

• Two scenes with programs: TheStage for the debate on the future of the industry and the political and legal conditions that shape it, and TheForum for discussion of the market and product offer.
• A series of sessions to improve the competences of the participants: The Workshops, which included workshops on the place of LPG in the ETS2 system.
• The first ever European industry awards ceremony in 6 categories: The Awards.

The Forum's agenda covered topics related to liquefied gas, ranging from heating and mobility to legislation and market trends. The main conclusions of the discussion pointed to the important role of renewable liquefied gases in the energy transition of rural areas. In this context, stable legislation is of fundamental importance for a growing product range.

The legislative situation in France was widely discussed, in particular the debate on the path to introduce the phasing out of heating boilers by the French government. The discussion highlighted the challenges facing the municipal sector, but also small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas. SMEs often use fuel oil and propane gas (LPG) and aspire to switch to renewable energy, although they are often overlooked when making public policies. Industry representatives - including Jean-Laurent Nectoux, consultant on CSR and sustainability strategy and vice president of Rossignols - discussed the use cases of liquefied gases in their companies and the phenomenon of switching from natural gas to liquefied gas due to rising costs following Russia's full-scale aggression in Ukraine.

Among the most interesting statements was the analysis of Alice Francou, a representative of Antargaz, who presented the results of two studies on the suitability of heat pumps in residential buildings in rural areas outside the reach of the grid - which is significant because in France the gas networks cover only 6% of the country's territory. Ms. Francou stated, that in cases where buildings are large and require major renovation, renewable liquefied gas solutions are more cost-effective.

Jan Schouwenaar, Chief Executive Officer of Primagaz, stressed that the energy transition must take an economically rational approach, using both electricity and gas, as electricity alone is often not the most suitable solution for rural areas. He was seconded by, among others, an expert of the research project Energies and Rurality Yassine Abdelouadoud, who said that an energy policy based on a mix of technologies and energy solutions is better than a single universal approach (full electrification) to ensure that consumers' needs and expectations are met economically effectively. The speakers called on policymakers and industry to adopt hybrid heating solutions, in order to address the needs of consumers in sparsely urbanized areas.

Understanding the concerns of autogas users, especially given the impending ban on the use of internal combustion engines (ICE) in 2035, sounded clear during the discussion of consumer trends in the automotive market. Experts including Angelique Berden (Westport Fuel Systems), Eglantine Borel (Borel Système Gaz Carburants), David Kling (Antargaz) and Katarzyna Rutkowska (AC SA, member of the Presidium of the Polish Liquefied Gas Organization), discussed the importance of assessing consumer preferences in order to select appropriate mobility options. The panelists summed up the session with the following words:

the affordability and environmental benefits of autogas are key factors for consumers interested in sustainable transport. There is a legitimate basis for European policymakers to recognise the tangible benefits of autogas, particularly in terms of reducing air pollution in European cities.

Speakers highlighted some of the key challenges facing autogas in Europe, such as EU decision-makers breaching the principle of technological neutrality and favouring electrification of the transport sector. The autogas market offers exciting opportunities for the future as an important alternative fuel contributing to the green transformation of transport, however the industry needs to introduce renewable liquefied gases to the offer, which will strengthen the position of our green fuel in the Union and mitigate the environmental impact of road transport - commented Cinch Munson, representative of the World Liquid Gas Association.

An extremely important session was devoted to financing the energy transition. Fabian Ziegler, CEO of DCC Energy, outlined in it the main challenges facing the renewable liquefied gas project, in particular delays and higher than expected costs. He highlighted the slow pace of project implementation and noted that biopropane is now four times more expensive than propane, creating a difficult investment climate. Arnaud Cereze of ING Bank highlighted the critical challenges of the availability and affordability of liquefied gases, highlighting the 3 pillars of investment credibility: technological feasibility on a commercial scale, the determination of the industry to bring this product to market and the affordability of the project as part of the path to achieving Europe's climate neutrality. He stressed the role that the European Investment Bank (EIB) has to play in such innovative projects and the need for stable regulation for new investments.

The closing session of the Congress in Lyon was attended by, among others, Deputy Minister of Economy, Digital Development, Digital Transformation and Digitalization of Ukraine, Oleksiy Sobolev. He presented how Ukraine is working on the integration of the energy system with the European Union and discussed the importance of the LPG sector for Kiev. Speakers then discussed how liquid gases contribute to national security and mitigate the effects of crises around the world.

At the end of the European Liquid Gas Congress in Lyon, Ewa Abramiuk-Lété, Managing Director of Liquid Gas Europe, and Bartosz Kwiatkowski, Director General of the Polish Liquefied Gas Organization, jointly invited to the next edition of the Congress, which will take place in Katowice.

... to Katowice

The European Liquefied Gas Congress has been organised since 1971, but has never been held in Poland. The event in Katowice will be the first in Poland in the history of the most important industry organization in Europe.

‍20-22 May 2025 European Liquefied Gas Congress It will host the International Congress Centre in Katowice. Already, representatives of Liquid Gas Europe and the Polish Liquefied Gas Organization are talking to the local government so that the event will be remembered by the participants through the prism of professional preparation and attractiveness for the delegates.

The year 2025 will be a special moment for the organization of the Congress on the Vistula River. Poland will then hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, the embargo on Russian liquefied gas will already be in full force, and the government will work on the implementation of key new European legal acts for our sector - such as the Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD), the inclusion of the transport and construction sector in the system of trade in CO emission allowances₂or the next version of the Directive on the promotion of renewable fuels, including biopropane and other liquefied gases.

Liquid Gas Europe and the Polish Liquefied Gas Organization will strive for the event in Katowice to have a truly regional character - we will seek participation in the Congress of delegates from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, taking into account the cooperation relations with Polish entrepreneurs, as well as with Ukraine. Since 2022, Poland has become the main supply base for Ukraine in the field of liquefied gas, and cooperation between Ukrainian and Polish entrepreneurs has significantly strengthened. In view of the need to adapt the Ukrainian European market to European regulations, the potential for exchange of experience between companies remains very large. We hope that the European Liquefied Gas Congress in Katowice will become an important forum for such exchange and the establishment of new business contacts.

In 2025, it will be the European Liquefied Gas Congress, not ours Gas Fuels Forum will be the most important industry event of the year in Poland, a priority event for POGP. We invite you to register today.

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