On 12 August, the IGU President and Secretary General visited Statoil CEO, Eldar Sætre to thank Statoil for hosting the IGU Secretariat over the last nine years.

“The support has been of vital importance at a time where we have seen the need to step up our efforts to position natural gas,” said IGU President David Carroll in the meeting. “The battle between preferred energy sources is taking place now and the IGU is working hard to be present in arenas where decisions for the energy future are being made.” 

Sætre replied that it has been a pleasure for Statoil to support the IGU Secretariat. “We have noted a very positive development during this period, with the IGU increasingly growing in its role as an active contributor to policy formulation on issues affecting the gas industry.” He also added: “I think the IGU’s work, representing the whole gas value chain, is of utter importance, especially in the wake of the 2015 COP21 climate agreement to reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases. We appreciate the IGU’s efforts to advocate the gas industry’s contributions to reducing CO2 emissions while also increasing awareness of the importance of gas role in improving air quality in cities across the globe.”

The President and Secretary General expressed their warmest gratitude and appreciation for the support and presented Statoil a gift as a symbol of IGU’s appreciation.

On 1 November 2016, the Secretariat will move to Barcelona, Spain with Gas Natural Fenosa becoming the new Secretariat sponsor organization.