OREANDA-NEWS. Gazprom has submitted an official application to the Secretariat of the International Gas Union (IGU) to hold the XXVIII World Gas Conference (WGC) and the World Gas Exhibition (WGE) in 2021.

The news was announced by Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee and Director General of Gazprom Export, during an IGU Council meeting in Beijing. Mr Medvedev has been nominated by Russia as a candidate for the 2018-2021 presidency of the IGU.

Founded in 1931 with the aim of enhancing global cooperation in developing the international gas industry's technology and infrastructure, the International Gas Union now represents the interests of 81 states which produce and consume natural gas. The World Gas Conference is the Union's major event and is held every three years in tandem with the World Gas Exhibition. Since the International Gas Union was founded, Russia has played host to the Conference and Exhibition just once - in Moscow in 1970.

During a visit to St Petersburg in mid-September 2013, leaders of the International Gas Union visited the site of the ExpoForum Convention and Exhibition Centre, and remarked on its great potential as a venue for such an important global event as the World Gas Conference.

“St Petersburg has been the focal point of large-scale world events many times, and it is ready to do so again. As one of the most beautiful cities in the world, it promises to complement the Convention and Exhibition Centre with its grace and charm. The launch of the Centre in 2014 will be marked by its holding the St Petersburg International Gas Forum, a major event for the gas industry in Russia. I am convinced that St Petersburg will likewise host the World Gas Conference to a similarly high standard,” said Sergey Voronkov, General Director of ExpoForum International, commenting on the application.