Biggest fair on natural gas in the world kicks off in Barcelona

The biggest fair on natural gas in the world, Gastech, kicked off on Monday in Barcelona.

On its 30^th edition, it expects to host 30,000 professional attendees of 90 different countries.

Controversial king's visit

The King of Spain inaugurated the fair, and because of his presence, neither the Catalan president nor any of his ministers attended the event alongside the monarch.

The Catalan executive avoids turning up for events if King Felipe is also taking part.

A major exception was the main event marking a year since the August 17, 2017 Barcelona and Cambrils terror attacks.

The Catalan pro-independence movement was infuriated when King Felipe spoke to condemn last October's referendum two days after it occurred but made no mention of the Spanish police's violent crackdown on voters.

The Spanish monarch remains a highly unpopular figure in Catalonia, with an average score of 1.82 out of 10 in the latest poll asking about the issue in late 2017.

Gastech fair

The fair is only taking place in Barcelona this year, after having been held in Asia in its last three editions and moving to Houston (USA) next year.

The exhibition has 50,000 square meters and the main companies in the world are taking part including Total, Shell, Qatar Petrolium, Tokyo Gas, Gazprom, Novatech, Engine and Tellurian. 

Catalan-born firm Naturgy (formerly known as Gas Natural) is also joining the event, along with the likes of Enagás, Repsol and Cepsa.