Programme

The key factors influencing the current globalization of the gas market are increased gas supply from non-traditional sources, the growth in liquefied natural gas (LNG) trading, and the shift from long-term contracts to spot pricing. Together, these factors pose a significant threat to exports of Russian gas, in terms of both volumes and price conditions. Politically motivated institutional barriers are currently being erected in Europe, hampering the implementation of a number of important infrastructure projects aimed at diversifying gas supplies and reducing transit risks. Export gas shipments from Russia are increasing, however: growth stands at 15% since the beginning of 2017. The rise in LNG supply, including from the US, is intensifying competition on the global market, primarily in the Asia-Pacific region, where Russia has been making great efforts to diversify its exports. What should Russia’s gas export strategy be in these conditions? Will the global gas market map change in the near future? Will it be possible to expand the geographical scope of Russian gas supplies? Can solutions to the key problems regarding the construction of major gas transport infrastructure projects be identified?

Moderator:
Alexey Grivach , Deputy Director General on Gas Matters, National Energy Security Fund (NESF)

Alexey Grivach

Deputy Director General on Gas Matters, National Energy Security Fund (NESF)

Panellists:
Rainer Seele , Chairman of the Executive Board, Chief Executive Officer, OMV AG; President, Russian-German Chamber of Foreign Trade
Mario Mehren , Chief Executive Officer, Wintershall Holding GmbH
Alexey Miller , Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chairman of the Management Committee, Gazprom
Sun Xiansheng , Secretary General, International Energy Forum (IEF)
Seyed Mohammad Hossein Adeli , Secretary General, Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF)

Rainer Seele

Chairman of the Executive Board, Chief Executive Officer, OMV AG; President, Russian-German Chamber of Foreign Trade

In July 2015, became Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of OMV AG. October 2009 to June 2015: head of Wintershall Holding GmbH in Kassel. Since March 2012: President of the Russian-German Chamber of Commerce. After graduating from the Chemistry Department of Gottingen University and defended his thesis, Reiner first tackled chemical research at BASF in Ludwigshafen. From 1987 to 1994, he held various positions and was then appointed Head of Research Planning and Controlling at BASF’s Main Laboratory. Later, Mr. Seele changed to Wintershall AG where, from 1996 to 2000, he worked first as Head of the Strategic Planning Office. In 2000, he was appointed a board member of Wingas in charges of sales. From 2002 to 2009, as Chairman of the Wingas Management Board, he often spoke to representatives of the general public, making the case specifically for the importance of cooperation with Russia and reliability of Europe’s gas supply. In addition, as a board member of Wintershall AG, Mr. Seele oversaw the Natural Gas Trading and, in October 2009, he stood at the helm of the company’s managing committee.

Mario Mehren

Chief Executive Officer, Wintershall Holding GmbH

Mario Mehren is the Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Wintershall. From 2011 until assuming this role in 2015 he was a member of the Board with responsibility for the Russia board department and for exploration and production in Russia, North Africa and South America. He first joined Wintershall as the Head of Finance and Information Management in 2006. Prior to Wintershall Mr. Mehren worked at BASF from 1998 to 2006, where he was successively a specialist adviser in the Corporate Finance department; Head of Finance and Accounting for BASF Schwarzheide GmbH; and Managing Director of Finance and Administration for BASF Chile S.A. Mr. Mehren holds a degree in Business Administration from Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany. Wintershall, based in Kassel, Germany, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BASF in Ludwigshafen. The company has been active in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas for over 75 years. Wintershall focuses on selected core regions, where the company has built up a high level of regional and technological expertise. These are Europe, North Africa, South America, as well as Russia and the Middle East. Today the company is Germany's largest producer of crude oil and natural gas.

Alexey Miller

Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chairman of the Management Committee, Gazprom

He graduated from Voznesensky Leningrad Finance and Economics Institute and holds a PhD in Economics. Upon graduation, Alexey Miller was engineer-economist at the General planning division of Leningrad Civil Construction Research and Design Institute (LenNIIproekt under the Executive Committee of the Leningrad City Council). 1990 - Junior researcher, Leningrad Finance and Economics Institute; Section Head, Economic Reform Committee, Executive Committee of the Leningrad City Council. 1991–1996 - Head of the Markets Monitoring Division, Foreign Economic Relations Directorate, External Relations Committee of St. Petersburg Mayor’s Office; Head of the Foreign Economic Relations Directorate; Deputy Chairman of the External Relations Committee. 1996–1999 - Director for Development and Investments, Sea Port of St. Petersburg. 1999–2000 - Director General of Baltiyskaya Truboprovodnaya Sistema (Baltic Pipeline System). 2000 - Deputy Energy Minister of the Russian Federation. Since 2001 - Chairman of the Management Committee, Gazprom. Since 2002 – Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Board of Directors.

Sun Xiansheng

Secretary General, International Energy Forum (IEF)

Dr Sun Xiansheng took up post as IEF Secretary General on 1 August 2016. Prior to his election Dr Sun was the President of China National Petroleum Corporation’s (CNPC) Economics and Technology Research Institute (ETRI) where he lead a team of over 370 staff members. Reporting to the Chinese leadership on energy policy decision making, including energy security strategies, “3E” (Energy, Environment, Economy) program development, low-carbon energy mix optimization, “three steps” of Chinese gas pricing reforms, and international energy cooperation. Dr Sun was deeply involved in the Chinese energy five-year planning process and many other major policies. Dr Sun also served as chief editor of ETRI’s “Oil & Gas Industry Development Report” and the first “China Energy Data & Statistics” reports. With more than 30 years of experience in the oil & gas industry, Dr Sun has accumulated practical industry experience in oil & gas production, trading and pipeline construction. In previous roles he has served as Director of the Legal & Contract Department of CNPC International Cooperation Bureau, Vice President of CNODC (China National Exploration and Development Company), Chairman of JOC and President of Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company CNPC and also President of PetroDar company (during which the company found and developed Phalouge Oilfield, one of the largest oilfields in South Sudan). As Chairman of Saining Corporation CNPC, Dr Sun was in charge of CNPC petroleum trading in London. Dr Sun also served as Chairman of the CNPC subsidiary companies in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, and as Chairman and Chief Negotiator of China Kazakhstan Oil Pipeline Co. Moreover, as a representative of the Chinese government, Dr Sun participated in the dialogue with OPEC and worked as chief coordinator in setting and revising production sharing contracts both for crude oil and unconventional gas for CNPC, and participated in three bidding rounds for CNPC onshore blocks. Dr Sun holds an LLM and Ph.D from the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP), University of Dundee, UK.

Seyed Mohammad Hossein Adeli

Secretary General, Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF)

Dr. Seyed Mohammad Hossein Adeli is the Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, GECF. An economist, diplomat, academic and technocrat with extensive government and private sector experience, Dr. Adeli has served his country Iran in various capacities as Advisor to the Minister of Oil and International Affairs, Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic and Energy Affairs, Governor of the Central Bank, Advisor to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Iranian Gas Export Company as well as Ambassador to Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom. He was instrumental to Iran’s post war reforms, was Chief negotiator for Iran in the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline, Iran-Europe gas cooperation, Iran- Armenia gas pipeline, Trade and Environment Relations with the European Union and the common offshore gas fields with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Founder of the Revand Institute for Economic and International Studies, the first private think-thank in Iran, Dr. Adeli has a Ph.D. in Business Administration and a Ph.D. in Economics.