With this week's Gastech conference and exhibition taking place in Abu Dhabi, one of the key themes of presentations and discussions has been the likely evolution of the gas supply/demand balance in the Middle East – particularly in the nations of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), some of which already have substantial un-met gas demand. The consensus is that with gas demand in the region booming – despite the global economic crisis – action is needed to reduce or remove the price subsidies that are fuelling growth, if shortages are to be averted during the coming decade.