Members of the WGC 2022 National Organizing Committee attend a meeting at COEX, Seoul, Jan. 23. Korea Times file

By Lee Kyung-min

The World Gas Conference Daegu 2022 scheduled for May is bracing itself for the rapid spread of the Omicron variant and the escalating Russia-Ukraine war, event organizers said Friday.

According to the Daegu Metropolitan Office, the international event to be held in Daegu from May 23 to 27, has received only 200 registration requests, as of Friday, only 5 percent of the initially expected attendance of 4,800.

"Many participating firms seem hesitant to register early," said a Daegu Metropolitan Office official who coordinates the event with the WGC 2022 National Organizing Committee associated with Korea Gas Corp.

"The numbers are low, mostly because of the raging Omicron variant. But we still have about two months left, so we expect the registration rate to pick up as we near the event."

An official of the committee said the latest announcement on the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and self-quarantine will help increase participation in the weeks to come.

"Self-quarantine measures will be lifted for foreigners flying in. The health authorities' measures are expected to ease concerns of event participants," he said.

The escalating war between Russia and Ukraine remains a sticking point, a risk that can be amplified to affect non-Russian firms as well.

Russia's state-owned gas giant Gazprom and an independent natural gas producer Novatek were expected to bring a combined 100 officials to Daegu, but their attendance is not guaranteed.

"They are an important participant of the event. But we do have others coming from Europe, most of whom are willing to come," the committee official said. "Other countries not being able to come due to a new round of probable international sanctions is a possibility we are closely monitoring."

The visa issues could hit a possible roadblock in the weeks to come, brought on by intensifying sanctions against Russia and will also need to be closely monitored, he added.

"The war is now escalating, but chances of de-escalation are not non-existent. We do not have an adversary relationship with Russia, so we will not unilaterally deny Russian participants' visit requests. No major disruptions are expected since the sanctions have not gone as far as an outright entry ban."

The event was initially scheduled for June of last year, but has since been postponed due to the rapid spread of COVID-19.

Over 10,000 people with 110 companies from 90 countries were to come to Korea. More than 500 speakers were expected to come and present 95 sessions across a five-day program, covering a range of strategic, commercial and technical topics facing the gas industry.

A number of committees under the International Gas Union planned to share their global network and knowledge in providing technical industry insight.

Areas of interest include exploration, production, storage, transmission, distribution, utilization, sustainability, strategy, marketing, liquefied natural gas marketing, communications and research and development (R&D) and innovation.

"We will continue to work for a successful event in May, despite challenges from the ongoing health crisis and the military conflict in Europe," the committee official said.