WLPGA hosts 30th World LPG Forum

The 30th World LPG Forum, hosted by the World LPG Association, took place at the Palais des Congrès de Marrakech in Morocco.

Over 1,500 participants attended the 30th World LPG Forum. Photo courtesy of the World LPG Association.

The annual global LPG conference offered networking opportunities, educational sessions and side events. According to the association, more than 1,500 total participants from 72 countries attended the event, themed “Fueling New Markets.”

Over 117 exhibiting companies were present at the event, according to the association.

Aziz Rebbah, minister of Energy, Mines and Sustainable Development of Morocco, presented the keynote for the event.

A roundtable discussion titled “Fueling New Markets” headlined the list of sessions from the two-and-a-half-day event. The panel featured discussions on the growth potential in Morocco and Nigeria, as well as the potential for growth in developed markets, such as the United States, which are dealing with gradually decreasing consumption.

Other sessions covered a wide range of topics, including the future of the LPG industry, safety, growth potential in new markets, diversity in the industry and the potential growth that exists in Africa.

Additional highlights included the Global Technology Conference 2017, where cutting-edge innovation was showcased. The 2017 innovation awards were given to the team of Begas Motor/Repsol, presented by James Rockall, CEO of WLPGA.

The LPG for Development Summit included a keynote address by Rachel Kyte, CEO of Sustainable Energy for All and a special representative of the United Nations Secretary-General. According to WLPGA, Kyte called on the industry to reach the 3 billion people today who do not have access to clean cooking fuels.

Several personnel changes were announced at this year’s forum. The World LPG Association saw the end of Yağız Eyüboğlu’s two-year tenure as president, and named Pedro Jorge as the new president at the WLPGA Annual General Assembly. Additionally, Paige O’Dell was announced as the incoming chair of the Women in LPG Global Network. O’Dell previously served as the vice president of operations at AmeriGas Propane.

The 31st World LPG Forum will be held in Houston in October 2018.