Industry perspective

Alfredo Ingelmo Torres, Chair, Marketing Committee of IGU, and Director, Gas Natural Fenosa, Spain

Gas Processing spoke to Alfredo Ingelmo Torres, chair of the marketing committee of the International Gas Union (IGU), director at Gas Natural CEGAS in eastern Spain and a speaker at the 26th World Gas Conference (WGC) in Paris, France, a media partner of Gas Processing.

WGC is owned by the IGU and hosted by the French Gas Association. It will feature approximately 70 sessions and 500 speakers, with an exhibition showcasing 350 global companies and thousands of trade visitors.

Here, Ingelmo discusses effective marketing and communications in the gas industry and how to promote natural gas as the “fuel of the future.”

GP. What attracted you to being a speaker at the WGC?

Ingelmo. Gas Natural Fenosa has a longstanding commitment with the IGU; our membership dates back to 1961. Also, in the past, Gas Natural Fenosa’s employees have held leading positions at working committees such as strategy, sustainability or distribution.

As a company, we have been committed to WGC for many years. I am convinced of the need to tell the story of gas, whether on a global scene in Paris or with our customers or local policymakers in Spain.

GP. You are part of the working committee for marketing and communication at WGC. Could you tell us about the committee’s objectives?

Ingelmo. Ours is still a “young” committee, created after the WGC in Buenos Aires in 2009, where IGU was given a mandate to work on raising the voice of gas in a competitive global scenario. The past six years have proved the initiative right.

The marketing committee works on both sides of the story. On the one hand, we focus on consumers—how to better reach them and how to convey the benefits of gas. On the other hand, we want to raise the voice for gas. We compete in a global marketplace, but we also compete in a global opinion arena.

We need policymakers and opinion leaders to listen and understand the value of our proposition—affordable, flexible, low-carbon energy. We need to elevate our visibility in the global energy debate. Only if you have a voice, do you become relevant. For gas, becoming relevant means good news for the planet, good news for our global economy and good news for developing countries.

GP. Do you think communication in the gas industry varies among regions?

Ingelmo. Gas is viewed differently across the globe. In Asia, gas is still the engine for growth; in the US, gas brings energy independence; in Latin America, gas is becoming more and more relevant, not only in the upstream, but also in the downstream.

Then there is Europe, where renewable fuels stand in the spotlight, even though gas is what keeps the lights on. Also, we need to keep watch on the evolving role of gas in Africa.

GP. What are some of the topics that need communicating? For example, the skills gap, climate concerns, employment, etc.

Ingelmo. One of the key concerns of our committee is public acceptance of natural gas projects. As Gas Processing readers know, we will need to invest billions in new energy infrastructure, for both power and gas. Yet, citizens seem increasingly to be saying, “Not in my back yard” [NIMBY].

We need to demonstrate the way the gas industry delivers. We deliver growth. We deliver comfort. We deliver progress. We do respect communities and work with them to create a better future for everyone.

GP. What is the best way to address controversial communication on unconventional gas?

Ingelmo. Unconventional gas is a great example. The gas industry has been transformed by the surge of unconventional gas. This revolution has happened extremely rapidly, creating opportunities but also creating controversy in public opinion and a rise in NIMBY-type attitudes. 

If you look at the media, you might think that nobody wants to live near a fracing site. However, most people support the benefits of competitive energy for their economies. We need to demonstrate that the industry does things right, both in conventional and unconventional operations.

The US has done a good job in showing the positive side: lower energy prices, less dependence on imports and more low-carbon gas in place of high-carbon coal. Europe is starting to accept the positive role shale gas can play here, but there is still a long way to go.

As the leaders of our public acceptance study group say: To be successful here, our hardware has to come with soft skills. We have to invest much more in earning our social license—not just a permit. Without public acceptance, there is no business case.

The good news is that the industry does have a strong overall commitment to corporate social responsibility. Now, we need to reinforce that and share it with all of our stakeholders.

GP. How can the value of natural gas, and the significant role it can play in fueling the world’s sustainable economic growth, reach the right audiences?

Ingelmo. We have to invest in communications and, more importantly, in conversation. We have to engage stakeholders and sit around the table to help solve their problems, not just sell our product. That is true for global gas as much as it is for my daily job in leading teams. It’s important to do it outside of our walls, to opinion leaders, policymakers and so on.

As I said before, if you want to become relevant, you must have a voice. However, it’s also key to have a story that connects with the other side’s perspective and interests. It’s not only talking about yourself; it’s also about becoming a positive part of the other side’s story.

GP. Is there another part of the energy industry that you think has communicated its messages effectively? Is there a best-practice model to be emulated?

Ingelmo. The renewable energy industry has been successful in communicating. These companies are able to communicate the positive aspects of their industry, such as the low-carbon story, while perhaps the gas industry struggles on that front.

In the short term, we need to find the right way to highlight the best aspects of the gas industry, not by hiding any parts of the story, but by explaining the whole positive impact we see—the global good in people’s lives. We need to find our global voice in a world that is decarbonizing.

GP. Could you describe the work of the IGU and the Global Voice for Gas project?

Ingelmo. Global Voice for Gas has been a joint effort led by the IGU secretariat and the French presidency. The IGU marketing committee has tried to be as supportive as possible in taking IGU communications to the next level. Again, it’s about the global voice of gas on policy issues and about getting a social license in the communities in which we operate.

Gas Processing readers can join in the discussion with us and our panel guests at the World Gas Conference in Paris. We would love to hear from you!

GP. Finally, could you tell us a little about your company, your work and your role?

Ingelmo. Gas Natural Fenosa is a leading gas and electricity group, present in 30 countries, where it offers service to more than 23 million customers. I work at the gas distribution business.

Besides looking at today’s sales, we are also keen on long-term trends. We need to know where our business is going and what our customers can expect in a decade’s time. The IGU is the right platform for finding this perspective. GP

Alfredo Ingelmo Torres joined Gas Natural Fenosa in 1995. Following a position in the company’s international development area, he was appointed as director of market development for gas distribution businesses in Spain. Mr. Ingelmo holds a bachelor’s degree in economics, business administration and management, as well as an MBA degree.