Eni CEO Paolo Scaroni attends CERAWeek 2010, the world's leading energy conference

The abstract of the speech of Eni CEO Paolo Scaroni, on March 9 in Houston.

In the decade ahead, and probably well beyond that, the world energy scene will be increasingly dominated by the consumption of gas and the supply of gas.
Supply security in Europe and Asia will once again be a key issue on the global agenda.
We need to ensure that we are well prepared to address these concerns, by developing complementary supply sources, investing in shale gas – inside and outside the US, establishing physical transport links and interconnections, and building LNG infrastructure wherever is needed.
All of these measures have in common is the necessity for a long-term view and the access to vast amounts of capital. As such, they make the gas market  an ideal opportunity for international oil majors, which have the presence, the competences, the relationships and the balance sheets to succeed.
The majors are already more exposed to gas, a sector in which they have a greater competitive edge and which is set for long-term growth. Of course, today's low gas prices mean many investments are currently on standby, but when prices pick up, the majors will undoubtedly continue to gain greater exposure to gas. The only question is how far will they decide to come downstream.

The items on the agenda addressed topical oil and gas issues, including:

• Demand:  Has the “Great Recession‘ caused a fundamental shift in energy demand?
• Future Investment in the Industry:  What will be the short-term and long-term impacts of the economic slowdown on the energy industry?
• Economics:  What is the future of the global economy? 
• Future Fuel Mix:  How will climate change, the economy, new technologies and new supply impact interfuel competition and technology choice?
• Climate Change:  How will climate change legislation affect future investment and prices around the globe?
• Geopolitics:  How will geopolitical forces impact energy prices and investment decisions?
• Company Strategy:  In the midst of such political and economic uncertainty, which strategies are the most resilient to future shocks?
• Game Changers: What innovations will be the game changers in the new energy future? The electric car?  Unconventional natural gas?

Hon. Steven Chu, secretary of energy, U.S. Department of Energy
Lawrence H. Summers, White House National Economic Council Director
Khalid Al-Falih, president and CEO, Saudi Aramco
Philippe Boisseau, president, gas and power, TOTAL
Jean-Francois Cirelli, vice chairman and president, GdF SUEZ
Theodore F. Craver, Jr., chairman, president and CEO, Edison International
José Sergio Gabrielli de Azevedo, CEO, Petrobras
Andy Inglis, chief executive, exploration and production, BP
Philippe Joubert, executive vice president, Alstom, president of Alstom Power
Andrew Liveris, chairman and chief executive officer, Dow Chemical Company
Helge Lund, president and chief executive officer, Statoil
Alexander Medvedev, deputy chairman and general director of Gazprom Export, Gazprom
Mike Morris, Chairman, president and CEO, American Electric Power Company Inc.
James Mulva, Chairman, president and CEO, ConocoPhilips
Ken Rogoff, professor of economics, Harvard University
Nobuo Tanaka executive director, International Energy Agency (IEA)
Tom Walters, president gas and power marketing, ExxonMobil