Doha to host first Gas Exporting Countries

Several Iranian officials and experts will participate in the first Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), to be held in Qatari capital, Doha, on November 15. The 13th ministerial meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) is scheduled for November 13 in preparation and coordination for the meeting of GECF leaders. Doha hosts the permanent headquarters of the secretariat of the forum. Islamic Republic of Iran has the highest number of experts in the secretariat of the forum in Doha. Natural gas constitutes about 24 percent of the world’s total energy consumption and it is considered the second most significant primary energy source, after oil. Among the main objectives of the summit are to coordinate the efforts of producers, to promote the gas industry worldwide, to open up opportunities for exchange of experiences and co-operation in developing advanced technologies, to further expand the utilization of natural gas worldwide and to ensure supplies diversification and reliability through close cooperation among producers. The Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) was established in Tehran, Iran, in 2001. The GECF is an intergovernmental organization of some of the world's leading natural gas producers. GECF members together control over 64 percent of the world's natural gas reserves, 38 percent of the pipeline trade and 85 percent of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) production. The three largest reserve-holders in the GECF -- Russia, Iran and Qatar -- alone hold about 57 percent of global gas reserves. The GECF members are Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Kazakhstan, Norway and the Netherlands are observers.