Today in St. Petersburg the 2025 International Gas Forum opened, now in its fourteenth edition. The event, which runs until October 10, is being held at the Expoforum exhibition center but, for the first time, also extends to other prestigious venues such as the Lakhta Center and the Hilton Expoforum hotel. This year’s theme, “Gas Market 2025–2035: New contours in times of transformation,” underlines the intention to address the profound changes facing the sector in a rapidly evolving geopolitical and economic context. Over the course of four days, more than one hundred initiatives are scheduled, including conferences, round tables, workshops and networking events.
The forum aims to serve as a platform for discussion and exchange between businesses, institutions and the scientific community, with the goal of analyzing market challenges, strengthening international cooperation and showcasing the technological innovations developed by the Russian industry. Particular emphasis is placed on the replacement of foreign supplies, technological independence and the creation of new supply chains. St. Petersburg is presented as the natural center of this debate: the city relies almost entirely on gas for its energy needs and is considered strategic for attracting investment and partnerships.
One of the highlights of the opening day was the presentation of a new 32-megawatt gas turbine engine developed by Rostec and ODK for use in high-capacity gas pipelines. The model, known as NK-36ST-32, is the first Russian development in this power class, derived from a previous 25-megawatt engine but with significant improvements in efficiency, durability and environmental performance. According to project managers, the new engine has already passed initial testing and is ready for production, providing a fully domestic solution in a segment previously dominated by foreign technologies.
Alongside this development, the forum hosts an exhibition featuring more than six hundred companies and institutions presenting machinery, automation systems, liquefied natural gas technologies and solutions for process digitalization. Within the Expoforum, a Business Contact Center has also been set up to facilitate direct meetings between suppliers and clients in the energy sector, designed to encourage concrete agreements and foster new collaborations.
The following days will focus on working sessions addressing key issues such as the monetization of Russian gas, the development of scientific and industrial partnerships with Latin American and Asian countries, workforce training and the prospects for “green gas” through emission-reduction technologies. At a time when the global energy industry is under political pressure, facing new environmental regulations and competing with renewable sources, the St. Petersburg forum seeks to present itself both as a showcase of innovation for the Russian gas sector and as a platform for debate on the future trajectories of the global market.
