IGU secretary general urges continued innovation in gas industry

Sector’s success depends on ‘constant innovation and optimisation’, Mel Ydreos tells delegates as he warns against complacency and urges industry to keep pushing boundaries

The global natural gas industry has much to be proud of but must guard against complacency and continue to innovate, Mel Ydreos, general secretary of the International Gas Union (IGU), said at the opening session of the LNG2026 conference in Doha, Qatar. “We should not be complacent—our industry’s success depends on constant innovation and optimisation, pushing the boundaries of what is feasible and possible,” Ydreos told delegates. He also urged the sector to strengthen global advocacy efforts, emphasising the role of gas—and particularly LNG—in bolstering energy security while cutting emissions. “This should not just be with words, but with fact-based evidence,” he said. LNG2026—the 21st e