Gastech 2026 Days I & II: 'Transition fuel' to 'pillar of resilience'

The first two days of Gastech 2026 - which officially runs from September 14 to 17 in Bangkok, Thailand - have flown by with senior energy officials, CEOs and global industry experts finding common ground in regarding natural gas as a "pillar of resilience" for powering up the global economy. 

That's a marked contrast to the covid pandemic years leading up 2023, when renewables were all the rage and natural gas was labelled a "transition fuel." 

The proliferation of datacentres and AI, pivot of nations to a digital future and electrification has brought home the realisation that renewables alone cannot by any stretch of anyone's imagination meet the rising power demand. The perceived abundance of natural gas and rising US LNG exports - that have effectively resulted in a US to Asia LNG corridor - is certainly helping. 

In the words of Akanat Promphan, Thailand’s Minister of Energy, and hosting dignitary for this year's Gastech, energy security is not an isolated challenge that each country can address independently. 

Promphan added in his opening remarks that he is committed to strengthening supply resilience and accelerating energy delivery both at home and across ASEAN predicated on a natural gas a firm part of the regional energy mix.

The region and indeed the world it seems is coming around to that conclusion too. That's as the first of Gastech's 200 sessions spread across 15 programmes got underway. Among them were your's truly's first two engagements. The first of these was a Gastech Energy Talk series discuss with Dr. Harald Link, Chairman of B.Grimm Power. We explored how LNG can strengthen energy resilience and support sustainable economic growth across Thailand and the wider region.

Link offered viewpoints on the role of LNG in a rapidly evolving energy landscape, highlighting the need for energy strategies that balance affordability, reliability and long-term sustainability and "the importance of building a compassionate energy ecosystem" that balances consumer affordability with investment certainty, while strengthening fuel security, system stability and the reliable energy foundation needed for inclusive economic growth.

The Oilholic's second engagement over the first two days was a strategic dialogue with Dr. Poonpat Leesombatpiboon, Secretary General of Energy Regulatory Commission of Thailand, Hasan OZKOC, Secretariat Director, MEDREG - Mediterranean Energy Regulators, and Laura Swett, Chairman, US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. 

The panel explored how effective regulation can support investment, strengthen resilience and advance the energy transition. In particular, Swett provided good cheer for the market highlighting the potential for US energy resources to support both domestic and international markets.

“America and FERC, working together, can position both the American economy and those of our international allies to expand and grow through the abundance of resources that we have in America," Swett noted. 

"We have more than enough to power our grid and meet exponential demand, but also to support grids all over the world." 

More musings to follow soon from Bangkok as Gastech progresses and the energy dialogues advance over the coming days. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Forbes click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Energy Connects click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Critical Mass click here.

To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2026. Photo I: Energy Analyst Gaurav Sharma at Gastech 2026. Photo II: Akanat Promphan, Thailand’s Minister of Energy speaks at Gastech 2026. Photo III: Energy Analyst Gaurav Sharma (left) with with Dr. Harald Link, Chairman, B.Grimm Power. Photo IV: (Left to right) Energy Analyst Gaurav Sharma moderates Gastech 2026 strategic dialogue with Dr. Poonpat Leesombatpiboon, Secretary General, Energy Regulatory Commission of Thailand, Hasan OZKOC, Secretariat Director, MEDREG - Mediterranean Energy Regulators, and Laura Swett, Chairman, US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. © dmgevents, September 2026.

Gastech 2026 sessions to be hosted by yours truly

The Oilholic is delighted to be back speaking and moderating at Gastech 2026 being held this year in Bangkok, Thailand. One of the world's largest natural gas conference and exhibition of its kind will run here from September 14 to 17. 

Yours truly will be hosting three sessions at the event with distinguished industry leaders from energy sector and its entire value chain. 

Please do join if you can for some fantastic and insightful industry dialogues. Here are the details of the sessions:

Monday, 14 September 2026 | 13:00 - 13:20 ICT 

Empowering the world compassionately: Reimagining LNG’s role and resilience in Thailand2

Strategic Conference - Energy Talk Session 

With:

• Dr. Harald Link, Chairman, B.Grimm Power

Monday, 14 September 2026 | 16:15 - 16:45 ICT

Regulate or stagnate: The policy choices that will define the next decade

Strategic Conference Session - Executive Leadership Panel

With: 

• Dr. Poonpat Leesombatpiboon, Secretary General, Energy Regulatory Commission of Thailand
• Hasan Ozkoc, Secretariat Director, MEDREG
• Laura Swett, Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

Tuesday, 15 September 2026 | 12:15 - 12:35 ICT

Mobility in motion: What emerging markets teach us about real-world energy transitions

Strategic Conference - Energy Talk Session 

With: 

• Pras Ganesh, EVP & CISO, Toyota Mobility Foundation

More musings to follow soon from Bangkok. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Forbes click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Energy Connects click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Critical Mass click here.

To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2026. Session details imagery © dmgevents, September 2026.

How much oil is getting through the Strait of Hormuz?

Another week, another round of skirmishes between US Navy and Iran, and another all-too-predictable geopolitical risk premium-driven oil price spike. 

In fact, the Brent front-month futures contract is back lurking around $100 mark on renewed fears of disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. 

For now, many in the market are wondering just how much oil is indeed getting through the strait at the moment. 

However, assessing that is proving pretty tricky. Data aggregators are reporting different numbers of ships now passing through the key maritime artery that Iran disrupted in the wake of the war, and continues to disrupt.

Versus a pre-war volume of 20 million barrels per day, down to near zero at the height of the war (in March and April) and back up in June during a short-lived ceasefire - latest empirical and anecdotal evidence from this blogger's sources puts the volume in the range of 5 to 9 million bpd. 

This is hotly contested, as noted by Kpler, in a blog explaining why figures vary and why its range is 5 to 10 million bpd. Nuances in data gathering aside, vessels also "go dark" switching their trackers off, travel in the dark and in protected convoys near the Oman coastline. 

That protection is near always provided by the US Navy which leaves its government the only source of concrete data. Figures published by it put oil transits at the upper end of the range around 10 million bpd. 

And on September 2, Energy Secretary Chris Wright put the figure above 17 million bpd whilst talking to the media - the highest since the war began. 

In other interviews, including one with Fox News, Wright defended US data quipping: "Why would we lie?" 

That is a fair point, because if the statistics on volumes are fiddled - they will eventually be found out. 

In the meantime, oil prices remain volatile contingent upon the news flow and will likely remain that way for now. Here is the Oilholic's latest Forbes post on the developments and more. Where its all going is anyone's guess. 

Well that's all for the moment folks! Leaving you all with two photos of the Strait of Hormuz (above) taken by this blogger from the Omani coastline some 13 years ago. It was a tad calmer back then. More market musings to follow soon. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Forbes click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Energy Connects click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Critical Mass click here.

To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2026. Photo I & II: View of the Strait of Hormuz from Khasab, Musandam Peninsula, Oman. © Gaurav Sharma, August, 2013.

Back to a "highest since July" oil market

Another month of uncertainty in the Middle East has resulted in another round of wild price swings in the oil market, and often heard quips of Brent and WTI futures having hit their highest since July. That was literally just a month ago. 

US President Donald Trump's latest move is to hit Iran economically. With all else failing to resolve a safe and certain passage of energy (and other) cargoes through the Strait of Hormuz, and major regional exporters like Saudi Arabia and UAE exploring alternative transit routes, focus of the White House has now turned to crippling Iran's economy intertwined with its energy industry via non-military means. 

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the latest move as "an economic D-Day" and "the single greatest financial offensive ever" - the full details of which will follow over the coming weeks. Given the limited range of options available to bring a swift end to the tension, such a long shot is worth a try, even if the Islamic republic's capacity to ride it out and pass on the hardship to its people is pretty well documented. 

Meanwhile, the oil market is learning to live with the diplomatic deadlock of the past few months following on from the breaking out of hostilities on February 28. It has become a sort of a 'perma-crisis' or a permanent crisis as risk premiums subside only to rise again, and more of the same.

In recent weeks we have seen crude oil cargoes continue to move under the cloud of geopolitical uncertainty largely along the Omani coastline. Various data aggregators indicate the figure may be somewhere in the region of 9-10.5 million barrels per day. Now, even if taken at the upper end of the range, that's still only around half of the volume noted in February. 

As such the domino effect of all this will continue to be felt by the global market with elevated and volatile prices. But that hit is nowhere near the three-figure levels seen at the height of the conflict in March and April. 

Using Brent as a benchmark as the time of The Oilholic posting this blog - oil futures are trading down 0.6% on last week, up 6% on last month, down 3% on the past three-months but up 33% on last year, as trading on daily developments becomes the order of the day. Expect more of the same for now. 

That's all for the moment folks! More market musings to follow soon. Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Forbes click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Energy Connects click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Critical Mass click here.

To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2026. Photo: Oil production site. © Monika Wrangel / Pixabay, May 2015.

Speaking and moderating at Gastech 2026

Delighted to announce that The Oilholic will be speaking and moderating at Gastech Exhibition & Conference 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, from September 14 to 17.

Explore the event's exciting agenda here. 

The year's event will serve as a vital platform for progressing the global energy agenda amid rising demand, accelerating electrification and growing energy security challenges. 

Convening ministers, CEOs, policymakers, investors, technologists and myriad industry movers and shakers, Gastech's multiple conference streams will address the partnerships, investments and strategic actions required to enhance resilience, secure supply and drive sustainable economic growth. 

Looking forward to the deliberations, meeting old friends from the industry and making new ones. Register here as a delegate and join The Oilholic, if you can, for some fantastic industry exchanges and networking in Bangkok this September. 

Keep reading, keep it here, keep it 'crude'! 

To follow The Oilholic on Twitter click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Forbes click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Energy Connects click here.

To follow The Oilholic on Critical Mass click here.

To email: journalist_gsharma@yahoo.co.uk  

© Gaurav Sharma 2026. Digital banner courtesy of dmgevents, August 2026.