Biggest ever oil and gas expo will be held in Bali

Sudibyo M. Wiradji Contributor Jakarta

The Indonesian International Oil, Energy and Gas Conference and Exhibition (IIOGE) will be held once again, with at least 1,000 leading local and international business people expected to take part in the biggest ever conference and exhibition.

The IIOGE 2002, which will be officially opened by President Megawati Soekarnoputri on July 6 and will run for two days at the Bali International Convention Center in Nusa Dua, Bali.

"The participants are of a high level and appropriate to the themes under discussion. They are not technical experts, but instead the delegates are predominantly leading businessmen in the industry - Country Directors, Financial Analysts, Commercial Directors, Traders, Chairmen, Bankers, Consultants etc.," PT Rai Expo International's CEO Alan Solow said.

PT Rai Expo International, in collaboration with London-based International Trade and Exhibition (ITE) Group, Plc, is the organizing committee of the IIOGE 2002.

Established by the Indonesian Government in partnership with leading public and private sector organizations, IIOGE 2002 is a regional forum hosted by state oil and gas company Pertamina, state gas company Perusahaan Gas Negara (PGN) and state electricity company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), and held annually in Indonesia on the resort island of Bali.

The IIOGE 2002 Exhibition offers manufacturers, suppliers, contractors and service providers, a golden opportunity to exhibit their products and services to industry leaders, policy makers, as well as domestic and international participants in the IIOGE 2002 conference.

Alan highlighted the importance of the upcoming IIOGE 2002, saying, "IIOGE will offer participating countries a unique opportunity to align policy, development and investment both within ASEAN itself, and furthermore, between ASEAN and other key energy centers - OPEC, China, Russia and Korea."

He said that as an independent event, all nations participating have equal rights to have their perspectives heard. "The participation of the private sector at the most senior level further ensures that all stakeholders in the industry recognize the critical importance of further global liberalization of the industry, and the vital role that the private sector has to play in investment, technology and in knowledge," he pointed out.

This year's IIOGE will be held immediately following the 20th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM). The presence of the ASEAN Energy Ministers and their Senior Officials, as well as heads of ASEAN power and utilities companies is expected to offer international participants the latest status and future directions on energy cooperation in the region.

With a theme of Sustaining Indonesia's Gas Production: Meeting Asia's Long Term Energy Demand, the IIOGE 2002 Conference will provide a world-class forum for discussion of the key issues that are guiding the next stage of development in the Indonesian energy industry.

The Conference will feature at least 18 speakers from Indonesia and foreign countries, including Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Minister of Industry and Trade Rini Soewandi, OPEC's Secretary General Ali Rodriguez Araque, Singapore's Minister of State for Trade and Industry Raymond Lim Siang Keat, the Secretary of the Philippine Department of Energy Wang Tao, British Petroleum's Group Vice president, Upstream David Fitzsimmons, President Commissioner of PT Medco Energi Internasional Tbk John S. Karamoy and ASEAN's Secretary General Rodolfo C. Severino Jr.

They will discuss their experiences in Asian energy markets, present strategic information and share their perspectives on the forces driving energy policy development in Indonesia.

Issues to be discussed will include multilateral strategies for meeting Asia's long term energy demands, development of Indonesia's energy initiatives for the 2002-2003 period, expanding and maintaining Indonesia's LNG markets, the effect of competition in Indonesia's downstream sector, domestic and regional gas infrastructure development, balancing central and regional government authority in Indonesia's energy sector and the impact of the evolving political and social environment on investment.

Alan said that the Organizing Committee will be hoping that IIOGE will see a positive statement of support from the Chinese delegation to make Indonesia a key supplier of LNG there. "They are also likely to use IIOGE as a platform to accelerate the development of the Trans Asia Gas Grid project. On a global agenda, IIOGE will provide OPEC and Russia the opportunity to further build a relationship of trust and create a strategy for Asia that equally benefits the two largest production powers in the world," he noted.

Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo highlights the important role Indonesia plays in the energy sector linked to IIOGE, saying "The IIOGE annual series and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Trade (Kadin) initiative, is an international forum for both domestic and international organizations."

"Over the last two years, the IIOGE series succeeded in demonstrating to the international community our continued development in these sectors that are fundamental to our future economic success."

He said that Indonesia's energy industry "is one of the most developed in the Asia-Pacific region, and our nation leads in the way in many of the technologies that are transforming the global industry. Indonesia has successfully maintained its position as the world's leading exporter of LNG gas and is without doubt the fuel that will drive Asia's next stage of economic development.

Furthermore, as OPEC's only member nation in the Asia-Pacific region, Indonesia plays a central role in ensuring the regular, secure and stable supply of oil to diverse nations around the world."

Alan said that title sponsors include: BP, Accenture with supporting sponsors consisting of Lukoil, Sun. MEDCO, ABN-AMRO, Indosat Mega Media, Satelindo and Ford. "Sponsors benefit from a very high level and highly targeted audience for their corporate message, and can use IIOGE as a platform to extend their agenda or to raise their profile in the community. The can also be key speakers and participants of the event (given approval of the Official Organizing Community-IIOGE OOC)," he noted.

Asked what will be the follow-up of the upcoming IIOGE, he said, "As with all PT. Rantai Expo events, the conference process is geared towards the attraction of new international investment to Indonesia. If IIOGE succeeds in strengthening Indonesia's relationships with its key international partners then we would consider our job well done and then we can only anticipate next year's theme from the IIOGE OOC."