Gas exporting countries intend to play bigger role in global gas market

Gas exporting countries intend to intensify coordination to play a bigger role in global gas market, Iran's representative at the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), Mohammad Ali Khatibi, said.
On the verge of holding the 12th ministerial meeting of the members of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), Khatibi said the ministerial meeting would examine the latest developments in the gas market, the report of the Secretariat and some other reports including financial and administrative reports. Khatibi noted that the participants also plan to hold a meeting behind closed doors.

Iran's representative at the forum continued: “One of the most important topics on the Cairo agenda is to make preparations for holding GECF's summit in Doha in November this year. To this end some specialized committees were set up that will present their latest results on the arrangement.”
“In recent months natural disasters -- especially the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and its aftermath including the Fukushima nuclear power plant incident -- once again have caused special attention to natural gas as an clean energy,” the official said.

Fourteen countries including eleven members and three observers were present at the Cairo meeting. The member countries hold 42 % of the global gas production, 70 % of the world gas reserves, 38 % of gas pipelines and 85 % of LNG trade.
Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela make up the eleven members of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum.