The conference, organised and hosted by the ASCOPE Gas Centre and the Malaysian Gas Association, included pipeline financing as its special feature with speakers from Deutche Bank, HSBC and Barclays Capital.

PETRONAS Research & Technology vice president Datuk (Dr) Abdul Rahim Hj Hashim, who is also the president of the Malaysian Gas Association and vice president of the International Gas Union, officiated at the opening. The keynote address was delivered by Mr Ramlan Malek, PETRONAS Exploration and Production vice president, on behalf of Mr Wan Zulkiflee, PETRONAS Gas Business vice president.

Dr Rahim’s opening address highlighted the pipeline engineering achievements of the Kikeh project offshore Sabah in East Malaysia, including the world first of its kind, 1.6 km suspended fluid transfer pipeline system. He emphasised the importance of professional development of young regional pipeline engineers, announcing that proceeds from the Conference would be used to fund a professional study tour for two regional pipeline professionals under the age of 35 years. Details are available at http://www.ascopegas.com.my

Mr Wan Zulkiflee’s keynote address noted that Asian gas demand to 2030 was forecast to grow at 3 per cent per annum (compared to the world average of 2 per cent annually) and that there was a growing trend to regard gas reserves as depleting strategic national assets. In many countries there is a growing priority towards domestic needs versus gas exports; this in turn makes it more likely that Asia will rely of gas – in the form of LNG – from regions like the Middle East in the longer term. The presentation went on to emphasise three sustainability priorities for the gas industry:

  * Improved supply reliability, including exploration effort in frontier and deepwater regions
  * Improved end use efficiency, including efficient end use technologies and gas pricing that is both realistic (e.g. not subsidised) and fair to customers
  * Positioning gas to remain competitive in the ‘low carbon economy’, including through carbon capture technologies and – under the Kyoto Protocol – the ability of non-Annex 1 countries (which includes most Asian countries) to undertake Clean Development Mechanism projects with more technologically advanced Annex 1 countries.

Other keynote addresses covered critical issues of pipeline financing, professional development and training and industry Codes and Standards:

  * Mr Martin Hohensee, managing director, Global Markets, Deutche Bank (Singapore) addressed risk assessment in the raising of capital in volatile market conditions;
  * Dr Andrew Ngiam, global manager, Hydrocarbons Subsea and Pipelines, WorleyParsons (Singapore) addressed the strategies needed to meet Asia’s pipeline potential;
  * Mr Bryce Brown, In-Line Inspection Association and Manager, Integrity and Compliance, ROSEN North America (USA) spoke on standardization within the pipeline inspection industry; and,
  * Dr Mark Marley, principal pipeline engineer, Det Norske Veritas (Norway) spoke on the application of recently revised DNV Codes in offshore pipeline design, construction and operation.

Regional pipeline owners and operators were well represented at the event. Papers included updates on the Trans ASEAN Gas Pipeline (TAGP Task Force), future pipeline development plans in Vietnam (PetroVietnam), completion of the Wang Noi – Kaeng Koi pipeline project (PTT PLC, Thailand), completion of the South Sumatra – West Java pipeline (PT PGN), deepwater gas pipeline challenges of the Kikeh project offshore Sabah (Murphy Oil) and an analysis of last year’s gas pipeline explosion in East Java (Ahmad Taufik PT AT Solusi in association with PERTAGAS).

The conference also included a range of papers on pipeline integrity management and asset performance, drawing on local and international experience.

The Conference will be an annual event to promote dialogue and information exchange between pipeline professionals within the region, especially amongst ASEAN countries. Information on papers presented at APCE 07 and the preliminary call for expressions of interest for APCE 08 are available at http://www.ascopegas.com.my