The platform for exchanging views and experience and for discussing current technical and economic challenges facing the gas industry – with simultaneous English interpreting for the first time

This year’s gat (gas industry convention) is being held in Karlsruhe on 13 and 14 November 2007. The organizers, DVGW (German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water) , Bonn, and Bundesverband der deutschen Gas- und Wasserwirtschaft (Federal Association of the German Gas and Water Industries), Berlin, are expecting about 2,500 delegates from the gas industry and from authorities and institutes. For the first time, this year’s event is targeting visitors from other European countries. Simultaneous English interpreting is to be provided for all the platform discussions and forums.

About 140 companies will be presenting their innovations and services at the accompanying exhibition.

gat is the largest convention for the German gas industry and has been a key platform for discussions among specialists and managers from the gas industry for 45 years. The topics are based on participants’ information needs. Three platform discussions chaired by recognized experts will deal with topics currently faced by the gas industry, presenting first-hand practical experience. These will include:

• Proposals of the EU-Commission for the European common energy market
• State regulation and effects on technical safety
• Start of incentive regulation

The discussion forums chaired by experts from gas companies, manufacturers, ministries, authorities and research institutes will focus on current technical issues. One of the key topics for this year’s convention and exhibition will be "Innovation in Gas Application Technology"; the objective will be to promote know-how transfer between industry and suppliers

The topics of the discussion forums are:

• Experiences with the new cooperation agreements
• Gas transmission pipelines
• Technical and economic network access
• Innovation and research & development
• Injection of biogas into natural gas systems
• Gas installation
• Innovations for climate protection
• Energy Efficience Directive and the national act of renewable heat

Updated information on the gat programme, the exhibition, travelling arrangements and accommodation is available at

www.gat-dvgw.de or from Herbert Kess, DVGW Central Office, Phone +49 228/9188-713, Email: kess@dvgw.de