The 21st Pipeline Technology Conference (ptc) concluded last week in Berlin, reaffirming its position as The Global Pipeline Event. With 1,132 participants from 61 countries and delegations from around 100 pipeline operating companies, ptc 2026 was the largest and most international edition in the event’s 21-year history.
Held from 27 to 30 April at the Estrel Congress Center, ptc 2026 opened with a pre-conference training day on 27 April, followed by three full days of conference and exhibition. The program featured high-profile opening keynotes by The Right Honourable Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources for Gas of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Abdulla bin Ibrahim Al Hamar, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Germany, and Dr. Philipp Steinberg, Senior Advisor to Boston Consulting Group and former Director General at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, who spoke on “Pipelines, Power and Politics: Energy Security in a Fragmenting World”.
Reflecting the most pressing debates in the industry, the technical program covered topics like hydrogen transportation, CO₂ infrastructure, pipeline safety and integrity, inspection technologies, digitalization, and the long-term role of pipelines in evolving energy systems with dedicated sessions. The opening plenary panel “Strengthening Pipeline Safety Through Experience” set the tone for the technical discussions that followed. As in previous years, all conference papers will be made available on an open-access basis through the ptc Pipeline Open Knowledge Base at www.pipeline-conference.com/abstracts.
On the final day, the World Pipeline Outlook returned in significantly expanded form, bringing senior leaders from across the world together to look at where the industry is heading. Among the most discussed contributions was a presentation on the rapidly growing energy demand of data centers in Europe, examining the role of gas infrastructure in ensuring security of supply for one of the fastest-growing electricity loads of the coming decade. This session also featured a strategic outlook on the Transalpine Pipeline (TAL) and its evolving role in securing crude oil supply to the Czech Republic in a changing geopolitical environment, as well as a celebration of fifty years of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), one of the most iconic pipeline achievements in industry history.
ptc 2026 also introduced new networking formats, including a first-of-its-kind round table for pipeline regulatory institutions, alongside the established operator round tables, the third edition of the Global Women in Pipeline Forum, and expanded activities of the ptc Young Pipeliners Engagement Committee. A particular highlight of the opening day was the presentation of the Young Pipeliners International Awards 2026, with Kate Stratogianni receiving the YPI Early Achievement Award and Subashish Kundu Sunny the YPI Emerging Young Pipeline Professional Award.
Looking ahead, the pipeline community will gather again at the 2nd Pipeline Technology Conference Asia (ptc Asia) from 24 to 26 November 2026 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Malaysia. The 22nd Pipeline Technology Conference will return to Berlin in 2027, continuing its role as the global hub for pipeline professionals.
