Bangkok prepares to host Gastech 2026 amid rising Asian energy demand

The Ministry of Energy is working with the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, a public organisation known as TCEB, as well as dmg events and leading global energy-industry partners, to stage Gastech 2026, a global conference and exhibition covering natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), low-carbon solutions, hydrogen, shipping and marine industries, power systems and artificial intelligence (AI) for energy.

The event will run from Monday (September 14, 2026) to Thursday (September 17, 2026) at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre (BITEC) in Bangkok.

It is intended to give the global energy industry a platform to broaden cooperation, accelerate investment and advance the technologies and solutions needed to develop energy systems that are secure, accessible at a reasonable cost and sustainable.

The event is also designed to support economic growth and reinforce Thailand’s role as a hub linking energy cooperation across Southeast Asia.

Asia is becoming a major centre of the global energy sector as urbanisation, digital transformation and the rapid expansion of AI drive development in industry, infrastructure and data centres, sharply increasing the region’s energy demand.

This is consistent with International Energy Agency (IEA) data showing that emerging and developing economies accounted for more than 80% of global energy-demand growth in 2024.

Global electricity demand grew by 4.3%, while electricity consumption by data centres worldwide is expected to almost double between 2025 and 2030.

Global energy investment in 2025 is projected at about US$3.3 trillion, or approximately THB108 trillion.

In response to these trends, the Ministry of Energy is preparing to host Gastech 2026, bringing together policymakers, regulators, energy producers, infrastructure and technology providers, investors, energy traders and utilities from around the world.

They will jointly determine how energy systems should be developed to meet current demand while strengthening energy security and supporting long-term economic growth.

Bangkok is considered well suited to this major gathering of global energy leaders because of its strategic location at the heart of Southeast Asia, together with investment in energy infrastructure, LNG, power systems, digital infrastructure and industrial development.

This year’s Gastech will feature more than 800 speakers, over 200 sessions and 18 specialist programmes examining the energy systems, technologies and investment needed for the future.

Energy Minister Akanat Promphan said that, with energy demand rising rapidly in Asia, regional cooperation, infrastructure investment and long-term partnerships were important in meeting the rapidly changing needs of billions of people across the region.

Gastech 2026 would provide a strategic forum bringing global energy leaders together to shape the future direction of energy systems, which would underpin Asia’s long-term energy security, economic growth and industrial development, he added.

The event will include a Strategic Conference at which energy ministers, policymakers and representatives of international organisations will exchange views and examine the policies, cooperation and investment frameworks needed to support global growth.

Topics will range from energy security, supply diversification, infrastructure development and regulatory cooperation to the role of energy in driving economic activity and building economic security in both developing and developed countries.

Gastech will also bring together senior executives from across the energy supply chain to exchange views in leadership-level panel discussions.

Chief executives and other senior business leaders will have opportunities to discuss cooperation, investment and infrastructure development to meet rising energy demand, technological change and complex energy-security challenges.

The participants will be led by Narin Phoawanich, governor of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), and Kongkrapan Intarajang, chief executive officer and president of PTT Public Company Limited, together with executives from leading global energy organisations including PETRONAS, INPEX, Woodside Energy, ExxonMobil and Chevron Global Gas.

A new highlight this year is the Electrification Strategic Conference Programme, organised with EGAT.

It will examine technology, changing electricity demand and the investment needed to develop secure and reliable power systems while supporting competitiveness.

The programme will also address carbon-emission reduction goals amid rising electricity demand caused by the expansion of industry, digital infrastructure and AI.

It will present approaches that countries can adapt to develop flexible power grids while expanding generation capacity sufficiently to meet demand.

The Global Energy Regulators Forum will bring together regulators, policymakers and industry leaders to discuss the development of clear regulatory frameworks that facilitate infrastructure investment, accelerate innovation and support secure, reliable and affordable energy systems.

The Japan Energy Programme will examine adjustments to Japan’s LNG strategy, trends in electricity demand and energy-security issues, as well as their impact on the direction of energy markets in Asia and worldwide.

This year will also see the launch of AixEnergy, another new platform held alongside Gastech.

It will bring together leaders in energy, technology and investment to exchange views and explore significant opportunities arising from the collaborative network linking AI and the energy sector.

These range from supplying power to rapidly expanding data-centre infrastructure to applying AI to improve the efficiency, flexibility and operational effectiveness of energy systems.

Gastech 2026 will also provide exhibition space for technology and innovation from leading energy organisations worldwide.

It will connect energy producers and suppliers, buyers, utilities, project developers, investors and technology providers from different countries, allowing all stakeholders to develop strategic discussions into business, investment and international cooperation opportunities.

Bringing together all parts of the energy value chain will help turn discussions into concrete business and investment agreements.

This is reflected in the success of Gastech 2025, which supported business and investment agreements worth more than US$60 billion and demonstrated the event’s role as a platform for investment and cooperation in the global energy industry.

This year’s event is being organised with support from TCEB as an event partner and Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell as co-hosts.

EGAT, PTT Public Company Limited and Gulf Development Public Company Limited (GULF) are national partners, while RATCH Group Public Company Limited (RATCH), Electricity Generating Public Company Limited (EGCO) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) are national supporters.

Christopher Hudson, president of dmg events, said global energy markets were changing quickly as economic expansion and industrial development in Asia and around the world steadily increased demand for reliable energy.

At the same time, growth in AI and electricity consumption was creating new demand and patterns of energy use.

Gastech, he said, gave leaders from government, energy, technology, utilities and investment an opportunity to meet and exchange views.

The aim was to move those discussions towards cooperation, investment and projects implemented in practice.

Given the region’s potential and its continually rising energy demand, Bangkok was therefore an important destination for discussions aimed at advancing regional energy issues, he added.