Shell Sees Innovation As Key To Secure Asia’s Energy Future

Themed “Innovation Driving Development”, the Shell Innovation Summit brings together Shell business and technology leaders with government and industry experts to discuss the vital role of technology and innovation towards securing energy needs for Malaysia and the Asia-Pacific region.

“Meeting the challenges accelerated change brings will require governments, academia and private enterprise to work together to find innovative ways to achieve our common goals. Co-creation and open innovation are key. Innovation enables advancements. Collaboration brings the best opportunities to the table. And that’s exactly why we are here today,“said Shell Malaysia Country Chairman Iain Lo in his remarks at the opening of the event.

The Innovation Summit kicked off with a discussion on the role of innovation in nation building and the importance of innovative collaboration to strengthen Southeast Asian nations. In a dialogue, participants from government, industry  and Shell discussed strategies to address future energy challenges for Malaysia and the region.

Innovation and technology will play a crucial role to unlock the energy the world needs for the coming decades. Global energy demand is expected to significantly increase as population grows and prosperity increases, particularly in developing countries. The greatest expansion in urban population will be here in Asia where urbanisation is occurring at the fastest pace. Asia’s growing cities will demand more energy as the emerging middle classes buy their first air conditioners, televisions and computers. A range of sources will be needed to supply this vital energy over the coming decades.

”The growth of Asia’s megacities and fast urbanization, with increased congestion and pollution, presents policymakers with a big challenge and an opportunity: How do you fuel development in an environmentally sustainable way? We believe that natural gas is uniquely positioned to address the challenges faced by policy makers today, tomorrow and as part of a secure, competitive, affordable and sustainable energy future, “ said Maarten Wetselaar, Royal Dutch Shell Executive Vice President for Integrated Gas in his address at the event.

He outlined the benefits of gas and why it is poised to play a more important role in the global energy picture.  First, is its environmental acceptability as natural gas produces around half the Greenhouse Gas Emissions compared to coal. Another is its transformational impact on economic development for countries with large domestic gas resources. Finally, smarter city planning that incorporates natural gas infrastructure offers not only significant gains in efficiency but also helps to reduce total air pollution and CO2 emissions.

Shell continues to find innovative solutions to help deliver the energy our customers and partners need in a sustainable way. Shell works closely together with partners within and beyond the  energy industry to continuously generate new ideas and speed up their development and deployment.

Its partnership with Malaysia, in particular, spans over a century and is marked by significant achievements, including many “firsts” for the energy industry globally and in the region, such as the world’s first  Gas-to-Liquids (GTL) plant built in Bintulu. “At Shell, we aim to contribute strategically with our partners to help generate measurable social impact and link to our core business strengths including our innovation,” Mr. Wetselaar said.

“I see fertile ground for further innovation and value creation for both the industry and Malaysia. As a long term investor and partner in Malaysia, Shell is committed to creating a positive legacy – a contribution to the nation that we and our partners can be proud of,” he concluded.

ENQUIRIES:

Cindy Lopez

Head, Asia-Pacific Media Relations

Mich Villar

Shell Spokesperson, Asia-Pacific

+63 9175366424

Serene Loo

Shell Spokesperson, Asia-Pacific

+65 97297294

Notes to Editors:

• Shell and Malaysia have a long history together dating back to 1891. Today, Shell’s presence in Malaysia has expanded to the full energy value chain, the Upstream, Downstream, Projects & Technology, and in Shared Services.  
• Shell has been a technology pioneer for more than 100 years, and has come up with many industry-transforming “firsts” to deliver energy its customers and partners need.  
• One such pioneering technology is the gas-to-liquids conversion process to yield valuable products such fuels, chemicals and lubricants. The world’s first commercial GTL plant is right here in Malaysia – the Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis (MDS) Plant in Bintulu, Sarawak.
• Shell MDS’ GTL plant uses natural gas from offshore Sarawak to produce waxes, drilling fluids, chemical feedstocks and fuels. It is said to be the “oyster” that helped produce the world’s largest GTL plant – Pearl – in Qatar. In fact, Shell supplied the world’s first GTL jet-fuel blend for a commercial passenger flight.

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