HE Eng. Mohamed Hamel, Secretary General of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), participated in the Egypt Energy Show (EGYPES 2025) on 17 February in Cairo, the Arab Republic of Egypt. He attended the inaugural ceremony and the opening of the exhibition, held under the auspices of HE Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt.
HE Hamel participated in a panel session titled “Gas–Powering Energy Hungry Nations and Industries.” He emphasised that "natural gas is not just a bridge to the future but an integral part of the future," highlighting its pivotal role in sustainable development. He noted that "natural gas demand has surged to a record high level in 2024, accounting for 40% of global incremental primary energy consumption growth—more than any other energy source." He also emphasised that the GECF projects natural gas demand to grow by 32% by mid-century, as populations grow, economies expand, and standards of living rise.
The Secretary General underscored the growing importance of natural gas in powering the digital economy, noting that AI Search and Operations use more energy than conventional computations. He explained that global electricity demand for data centers is projected to increase from nearly 400 TWh in 2023 to over 1,000 TWh by 2030. He highlighted that natural gas emerges as a crucial solution, as it "provides dispatchable, scalable, and cost-effective on-demand electricity, ensuring that data centers never experience supply shortages or instability." He also discussed the productivity boost of AI in the world economy as well as the efficiency of oil and gas operations.
Addressing a discussion around investment in oil and gas, HE Hamel underscored that not investing in natural gas is a recipe for market challenges for both consumers and producers, given that average production decline is around 4% annually.
On gas and renewables, HE Hamel stressed that they complement each other. He explained that oil and gas companies use renewables to reduce emissions from operations, while intermittent renewables rely on natural gas to provide flexibility and backup.
In addition, the Secretary General highlighted that natural gas is an enabler of the transition from traditional biomass to clean cooking fuels, which currently causes indoor pollution affecting over 2 billion people. African countries are prioritising the shift from traditional biomass to modern cooking fuels. HE Hamel welcomed the recent clean cooking commitment announced at the Africa Energy Summit, held last month in Tanzania.
HE Hamel congratulated HE Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, on Egypt's recent achievements in developing its natural gas industry, including new gas discoveries, and thanked him for the invitation and the warm hospitality.