Energy experts and leading gas industry professionals are set to gather in Korea to kick off the 2014 Gastech Conference and Exhibition next week.

Gastech is one of the largest events in the natural gas industry. It showcases the latest innovations, technologies and developments across the gas value chains.

The state-run Korea Gas Corporation, or KOGAS, will host the event for the first time in Northeast Asia from March 24 to March 27 at KINTEX in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province.

More than 380 gas-related firms from 44 countries and some 15,000 industry professionals are expected to participate in the event, according to the organizers.

As many countries look to develop their resources to meet energy demand, the natural gas industry has seen an increasing emphasis being placed upon related technology.

The four-day conference will feature more than 300 international exhibitors and a series of free-to-attend seminar sessions to allow industry leaders to share their knowledge and expertise on many challenges in the industry, the organizers said.

Key topics to be covered include: liquefaction, LNG as a shipping fuel, natural gas vehicles and subsea technology, as well as the prospects for compressed natural gas ships as a cheaper alternative to LNG carriers, the organizers said.

“The international gas event will help participating companies, especially Korea’s small and medium-sized firms, discover future business opportunities,” an official from KOGAS said.

The official added that after the successful hosting of the 2014 Gastech conference, KOGAS will use the experience as a stepping stone to stage the World Gas Conference, which is the biggest and most important global gas industry event. Korea is now bidding to stage the triennial event in 2021 in Daegu.

By Oh Kyu-wook (596story@heraldcorp.com)