Opening keynote addresses

Session 1: How can collaboration between government and industry enable renewable and low-carbon fuels to scale?

Renewable fuels need to scale to make production costs competitive. Key to meeting this challenge are strategic investments and policy support to ensure demand. Geopolitical headwinds and the increased cost of capital means that subsidies will be crucial for the development and extensive rollout of renewable fuels. Scaling renewable fuels will require action by governments, investors, and developers. The US Inflation Reduction Act has made billions of dollars available to support producers. The EU’s emphasis, while it has introduced some supply-side supports and relaxed state-aid rules, has been on creating demand for renewable fuels through mandates and enabling competitiveness, through the introduction of a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

• How will public-private partnerships such as the Renewable and Low-Carbon Fuels Industrial Value Chain Alliance foster cross-sector collaboration?
• Are there necessary governments subsidies in place to enable the scaling of renewable fuels?
• How can renewable fuels projects overcome hurdles to FID?
• What opportunities exist in transferring knowledge and human capital from the natural gas sector to the renewable fuels economy?

Speakers

Andreas Guth

Secretary General

Eurogas

Christian Pho Duc

CTO

Smart Energy

Networking coffee break

Session 2: How can existing LNG and gas infrastructure be repurposed for renewable fuels?

Utilising current natural gas infrastructure and tested technologies will be key for scaling biofuels and e-fuels. Green ammonia, e-methane, biomethane, and green methanol are the same chemical as the conventional fossil-based product. The German LNG Acceleration Act was central to allowing Germany to disconnect from Russian gas, but it required that the Brunsbüttel, Stade, and Wilhelmshaven facilities must be designed “hydrogen-ready”. Traditional LNG import markets such as Europe, Japan, and Korea will rely on energy imports and need to collaborate with producers to decarbonise their energy supply. Existing LNG infrastructure can be used to import renewable fuels enabling countries to adapt their energy mix to meet net zero targets.

• What is the feasibility of repurposing LNG infrastructure for e-fuels and biofuels?
• How will green hydrogen and ammonia be integrated into existing infrastructure?
• To what extent can new pipes and infrastructure build a bridge to a decarbonised hydrogen world?
• How can organisations utilise their existing workforce skillsets to assist a smooth transition to renewable fuels?

Speakers

Alexander Lücke

Deputy Director-General, Energy Security and Gas Markets

Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, Germany

Peter Röttgen

Managing Director

Deutsche Energy Terminal GmbH

Session 3: Enabling investment in renewable fuels through pragmatic policy and regulation

Renewable fuels need to be a central part of the energy mix to meet global net zero goals. A clear and predictable regulatory framework is required for a renewable fuels market to develop. Renewable fuels projects have significant upfront costs and long development periods. Governments need to facilitate investment from financial institutions, the energy industry and end-users. To meet this challenge policymakers, need to create an enabling investment environment by guaranteeing demand for renewable fuels through mandates, emissions trading schemes, simplifying cross-border traceability, and upfront government grants.

• How do regulatory frameworks make and break business cases for investment?
• How could technology-open policy drive investment in renewable fuels?
• What is the impact of political uncertainty surrounding European decarbonisation targets on investment?

Speakers

Michael Stirling

Chairman of Investment Board and CEO

Stirling Infrastructure Partners

Vasilis Michalopoulos

Vice President - Investments

Energy Infrastructure Partners

Urbano Troncoso Pérez

Executive Director - Structured Finance

Santander Corporate & Investment Banking

Karlijn Arts

Global Head of Sustainability and Regulatory Affairs

OCI Global

Networking lunch

Session 4: How are hard-to-abate industries evaluating different carbon management pathways?

Renewable gases, such as biomethane and e-methane, are crucial for decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors. Compared with low-carbon hydrogen, biogases are currently more cost-effective, as they can directly replace fossil fuels, avoiding the cost associated with new infrastructure and new industrial processes. As the industry comes to grip with this new reality it is creating new business models and partnership opportunities. A combination of renewable gases, low-carbon hydrogen, CCUS, and electrification will likely be necessary to meet climate goals, with the choice depending on specific process needs, resource availability, and geographical factors.

• How are hard-to-abate sectors developing new business models through CO₂ utilisation?
• How are renewable gases enabling hard-to-abate industries to meet their emissions targets?
• What data and AI strategies are being developed to use to optimise carbon reduction?

Speakers

Lars Kissau

President Net Zero Accelerator

BASF

Sven Weidner

Head of CCUS

Holcim Germany

Chair’s closing remarks

End of day one

Chair’s opening remarks

Session 5: How can the biomethane market enable economic development and energy security?

The EU has steep intermediate emissions targets which encourage replacing or blending natural gas with renewable options like biomethane or synthetic natural gas (eNG). The EU’s “Fit for 55” initiative targets 66% of natural gas to be replaced with renewable gases by 2050. Biomethane is attracting significant private investment due to low capex and ability to inject into the existing gas grid at subsidised rates. This can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions without replacing infrastructure. Biomethane uses sustainable circular feedstocks which enable energy security as these feedstocks, such as municipal, agricultural and forestry waste, are produced domestically. However, bioenergy still faces regulatory obstacles in cross-border certification which is essential for the trading of renewable gases.

• How has the EU encouraged the development of a biomethane industry?
• What further steps are required for a pan-European market for biomethane?
• How does biomethane benefit the agricultural sector and boost energy security?

Speakers

Harmen Dekker

Chief Executive Officer

European Biogas Association

Andrea Qualiano

Head of Green Gas Origination and Gas Supply Decarbonisation

Edison SpA

Frederik Møller Laugesen

Director

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners

Networking coffee break

Session 6: What are the key barriers to the adoption of renewable fuels?

Renewable fuels have immense potential to drive the energy transition, with opportunities for growth stemming from reforming regulatory frameworks, investment in feedstock collection, and decreasing production costs as the sector scales. By reframing policies to be outcome-focused, governments can create a supportive environment for renewable fuels. As inflation eases, lower capital costs and strategic investments in new energy infrastructure will pave the way for innovation and development. Encouraging investment by establishing a stable market will attract stakeholders. Adopting technology-agnostic climate targets and regulations will further drive investment, enhance energy resilience, and support decarbonisation goals.

• How can investment in CCUS enable the scaling of renewable fuels?
• What are the key demand-side measures that could drive the adoption of renewable fuels?
• How can producers overcome barriers to sustainable feedstock availability?
• What policies are needed to enable green hydrogen production to scale?

Moderator

Kyle Younker

Founder & Managing Editor

ReSource News

Speaker

Timm Kehler

Executive Director & CEO

Zukunft Gas

Chair’s closing remarks and close of the World Renewable Fuels Conference

Networking lunch