US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum at Gastech 2025
Letter from Italy: Faith in gas reaches new zenith
Politicians and executives alike expressed confidence in the trajectory for gas demand at this year’s Gastech, and record volumes of FIDs suggest little concern about a supply glut
It should come as no surprise that confidence in gas was strong at the industry’s largest annual event, the Gastech conference and exhibition, which took place in Milan, Italy, on 9–12 September. What felt new was the sheer level of that confidence. Industry executives were bullish on future gas demand, citing the expected surge in energy use driven by economic development and the rise of AI, as well as the fuel’s importance throughout the energy transition. This comes despite a broad consensus that the LNG market will loosen significantly in the late 2020s–early 2030s, chiefly due to additional US and Qatari volumes coming onstream. Today’s confidence contrasts sharply with the uncertainty
Also in this section
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution
