Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Management Committee at Gazprom, announced the start of the rally at the forum’s opening ceremony. According to Miller, natural gas motor fuel is currently a priority for the gas industry in both Russia and Europe. “The aim of the rally is to popularise natural gas as the most environmentally friendly and cost-effective motor fuel, as well as to promote efforts to organise mass production of domestic automotive technology running on natural gas”, he said.

This opinion was supported by Senior Vice-President of E.ON Global Commodities Uwe Fip, who highlighted the fact that the rally, which has already been held for 8 years and covers practically every country in Europe, proves that you can drive a car without polluting the environment. “I firmly believe that the St. Petersburg–Verona rally will mark the start of a new era in natural gas”, he stressed.

Over the course of the forum, particular attention will be paid to production techniques and methods of transporting liquefied natural gas, as well as the use of gas as a motor fuel. Some 1,500 delegates from 25 countries will be participating in the event, including representatives from major oil and gas companies such as Gazprom, Statoil, Wintershall Holding, E.ON, Shell, and operators in key industry sectors such as xperion Energy & Environment, and McKinsey. More than 400 participants will showcase their projects over 25,000 square metres of exhibition space.