The Voice Of Melih Poyraz, CEO of Aygaz and WLGA Vice President
The Voice is delighted to speak with Melih Poyraz, CEO of Aygaz and WLGA Vice President, to hear his perspectives on the future of our association and the global LPG industry.
TV: Chair of the WLGA Advocacy Goal, what are your main priorities for the year ahead?
Melih Poyraz: The 2026–2028 strategic review highlights not only the pressing challenges but also the extraordinary opportunities that will shape the Liquid Gas industry in the years ahead. As the global energy landscape accelerates, fuelled by governments racing to meet surging demand and tightening regulations, the moment for decisive action is now. Geopolitical instability, persistent supply chain disruptions, and the pivotal outcomes of the global meetings, the industry must unite behind a powerful, coordinated advocacy strategy. To secure its place in a rapidly transforming energy world, the sector must demonstrate bold leadership — championing a resilient, secure, and inclusive energy future.
Here are the key strategic actions we will prioritise in 2026:
- We aim to strengthen collaboration with global stakeholders to increase the visibility of Liquid Gas in the energy transition. During the COP31 process, a comprehensive advocacy effort will be undertaken to amplify the sector’s voice, prepare members, and position Liquid Gas strongly within climate negotiations.
- We are driving the energy transition by emphasising low-carbon and flexible solutions in power generation, hybrid systems, and industrial applications. We are showcasing progress in renewable Liquid Gas production to raise awareness and accelerate adoption.
- Cooking For Life will transition in 2026 from exploration to implementation, focusing on scalable clean cooking solutions through strong partnerships with governments, development agencies, and humanitarian organisations. The programme will emphasise LPG’s critical role in disaster response, expand support to WLGA members on the ground, and, with a particular focus on Africa, showcase global collaboration through a high-impact Liquid Gas for Development event during Liquid Gas Week 2026.
- We will advocate for the critical role of LPG and renewable Liquid Gas in the energy transition at national and regional levels. By strengthening collaboration with member associations, we will define shared priorities and deliver programmes that enhance advocacy and communication capacity. Through a consistent narrative, we will highlight the importance of LPG/rLG in energy security and low-carbon solutions across media and policy agendas. Additionally, we will play an active role in updating guidelines and standards, promoting best practices, and increasing visibility and impact through regional events.
TV: Aygaz is a major player not only in Türkiye but across the region. Could you tell us about the company’s strategic direction and the key drivers shaping its growth over the coming years?
MP: Aygaz has built a strong legacy for 65 years, not only as Türkiye’s leading LPG company but also as a trusted regional energy player. Looking ahead, our strategic direction is shaped by three interconnected priorities: sustained growth in our core business, leadership in the energy transition and operational excellence.
Between 2026 and 2030, our priority at Aygaz will be to maintain our leadership in overall market share while enhancing operational efficiency, strengthening our integrated business model, and ensuring sustainable growth.
At the same time, we observe that natural gas penetration in our country is approaching saturation. For this reason, we expect the cylinder gas market to become more stable in the coming period and, due to the increasing trend on mobility, it’ll remain to be one of the best alternative energy sources.
On the other hand, Turkey is one of the largest autogas markets in the world. As a company that has pioneered many firsts in the sector, we recently also introduced Aygaz 100 Octane Auto LPG.
Our priorities for 2026–2030 include:
- Continuing our market leadership in cylinder gas with the support of our dealers.
- Preserving our strong presence and pioneering role in the autogas market.
- Advancing operational efficiency and customer experience across our station network.
- Positioning Autogas as a powerful alternative fuel from both economic and environmental perspectives.
I would like to emphasise once again that LPG is a highly important fuel. Unfortunately, its significance becomes particularly evident during natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, where catalytic heaters and cylinder gas prove indispensable.
Aygaz’s joint venture investment in Bangladesh stands out as a strong illustration of how we successfully translate our operational expertise into new markets. Since 2022, we have rapidly applied Aygaz’s proven know‑how, safety standards, and operational discipline, enabling the business to reach the fourth position in the local market within a remarkably short period. This achievement not only reflects effective execution on the ground, but also serves as a clear proof point of the scalability of our regional growth model. Building on this momentum, our ambition is clear: within the next five years, we aim to expand into at least two additional countries, further strengthening Aygaz’s role as a regional energy platform.
Secondly, we view LPG as a strategic element in the energy transition, particularly during the critical phase of transformation. Globally, LPG is not only a transition fuel that reduces emissions, but also a vital energy source with the potential to create significant social impact, especially for women in developing regions such as Africa.
While in our country cylinder gas, natural gas, and electricity are widely available, the global reality is stark: nearly 750 million people, 1 in 10, still lack access to electricity, and approximately 2.7 billion people rely on polluting biomass fuels for heating and cooking. Access to clean energy worldwide stands at 74%, yet in Sub-Saharan Africa it is only 21%, in South and Southeast Asia 68%, and in the Americas and Europe 95%. These figures reveal the deep inequality in global energy access.
Thanks to its safe and portable nature, LPG delivers both social and environmental benefits. By replacing wood and biomass, it significantly reduces the physical burden on women, improves indoor air quality for women and children, and helps prevent irregular deforestation, thereby protecting forests’ carbon‑sink capacity. With its environmentally responsible profile and accessibility, LPG offers millions in developing countries a clean, safe, and affordable energy solution.
At Aygaz, we are committed not only to maintaining our leadership in Türkiye but also to acting as a responsible energy player internationally, advancing LPG as a fuel that supports sustainability, equality, and resilience in the global energy transition.
Thirdly, operational excellence is one of the cornerstones of Aygaz’s long‑term success and a critical enabler of our growth strategy. We operate with a strong focus on safety, reliability, and efficiency across the entire value chain, from sourcing and storage to distribution and customer delivery. By embedding digital tools, advanced analytics, and best‑in‑class safety practices into our daily operations, we enhance asset utilization, ensure operational agility and all decisions are taken through data-driven.
TV: Türkiye’s energy landscape has been evolving rapidly. How do you see the LPG market developing domestically and in the wider region, and what role do you envision for Aygaz in that transition?
MP: Türkiye’s energy landscape has evolved rapidly over the past decades. Since the late 1990s, the widespread expansion of natural gas has led to a contraction in the cylinder gas market. Despite this trend, the Autogas segment has grown significantly and today accounts for 85% of total demand.
With more than one million tons of annual LPG consumption, Türkiye is among the largest LPG markets in Europe. It is also the second-largest Autogas market globally after Russia and has the highest number of LPG-powered vehicles in the world, exceeding 5.2 million. This scale reflects both strong consumer adoption and a well-established infrastructure, positioning Türkiye as a reference market for LPG.
Looking ahead, we envision Aygaz playing a dual role: continuing to strengthen LPG’s position within Türkiye while also contributing to energy access, sustainability, and market development across different regions. In this transition, LPG serves not only as a reliable energy source but also as a bridge toward cleaner and more inclusive energy systems.
TV: Looking ahead, what do you see as the key challenges the global LPG sector must address, and where do you identify the greatest opportunities for growth and innovation?
MP: On the challenge side, the most critical issue is the energy transition. LPG is increasingly competing with renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydrogen, and electrification technologies, while also operating under growing regulatory requirements, high safety expectations, and price volatility linked to global energy markets. With ongoing geopolitical issues, supply chain challanges, and economic uncertainty, companies need to operate more carefully and efficiently.
Beyond these external pressures, the industry also faces a perception challenge. LPG is still too often viewed purely as a fossil fuel, rather than as a pragmatic, lower-carbon solution that can deliver immediate environmental and social benefits, particularly in regions where alternatives are neither affordable nor scalable in the short term. Addressing this perception gap requires data, transparency, and consistent engagement with policymakers and society.
At the same time, the opportunities ahead are significant and structurally strong. LPG has a unique role to play in expanding access to clean energy. While energy access is often taken for granted in developed markets, nearly one billion people worldwide still lack electricity, and billions continue to rely on highly polluting fuels for cooking and heating. In these contexts, LPG provides a safe, portable, and scalable solution that reduces emissions, improves health outcomes, and delivers meaningful social impact, particularly for women and children.
From a growth and innovation perspective, there are three clear pillars. First, renewable LPG solutions such as BioLPG and rDME, which offer a credible pathway to integrate LPG into carbon-neutral energy systems and reposition the industry from a transition fuel to a long-term sustainability partner. Second, digitalisation and operational excellence, including smarter infrastructure, advanced safety systems, predictive maintenance, and data-driven pricing and customer engagement. These capabilities are becoming essential to remain competitive and trusted. Third, strategic partnerships, consolidation, and M&A, which will be critical in scaling new technologies, entering new markets, and building more resilient business models.
Ultimately, the companies that succeed will be those that move beyond defending the status quo and instead actively shape the future, combining sustainability, innovation, safety, and disciplined strategy. If the LPG sector positions itself correctly, it can remain not only relevant, but also indispensable in delivering a cleaner, more inclusive, and more resilient global energy transition.
TV: Liquid Gas Week is coming to Istanbul in 2026. Why is it important for the industry that Liquid Gas Week takes place in Istanbul next year?
MP: Hosting Liquid Gas Week 2026 in Istanbul is highly significant for the industry. Türkiye sits at the crossroads of regions, energy corridors and major markets, which makes Istanbul an ideal setting to discuss energy security, resilience and the practical realities of the energy transition. It is also home to one of the world’s most dynamic LPG markets.
The timing is equally important. With COP31 taking place in Antalya later in the year, Liquid Gas Week becomes a natural pre-COP platform, a moment to align messages, prepare stakeholders and strengthen engagement ahead of global climate discussions. It offers the sector a clear opportunity to communicate, with evidence, the role of Liquid Gas, including renewable variants, in emissions reduction, energy access and resilient energy systems.
Istanbul’s role as host underscores that the energy transition must be shaped by realistic, inclusive and achievable policies. Türkiye’s large and dynamic LPG market demonstrates in concrete terms that affordability, reliability and resilience must be considered alongside decarbonisation, and it clearly shows why Liquid Gas is a key solution across all three.
TV: As Chairman of the National Organizing Committee, what are your ambitions for the event, and what do you hope international participants will take away from their experience in Türkiye?
MP: My ambition is for Liquid Gas Week 2026 to clearly position LPG as a critical transition fuel, bridging today’s energy needs with the long‑term objectives of the transition. From an advocacy perspective, the event will demonstrate why LPG matters now: it is widely available, scalable across markets and capable of delivering immediate improvements in energy access, affordability, resilience and emissions intensity.
Hosting the event in Türkiye reinforces this message. Türkiye is one of the world’s largest and most diverse LPG markets, offering real‑world insight into how LPG supports residential, industrial, commercial and transport sectors, including Autogas. For international participants, the experience in Türkiye will make clear how Liquid Gas strengthens energy security and resilience while countries move away from higher‑emission and less efficient fuels.
Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) will deliver the keynote speech at Liquid Gas Week 2026. Also we are working to finalise the remaining executive speakers.
Our goal is for participants to leave with a shared, evidence‑based understanding that LPG is not a short‑term fix but an essential part of a realistic, inclusive and resilient pathway through the energy transition, delivering immediate benefits today while evolving over time with renewable Liquid Gas, particularly in emerging and developing markets.
TV: Is there anything else you wish to add?
MP: Yes, one point I would particularly like to emphasise is the role of LPG in clean cooking, which remains a core focus of WLGA’s advocacy. LPG is not only a transition fuel within the broader energy transition; it is also a solution with immediate and tangible social impact, especially in developing regions.
Today, around 750 million people still lack access to electricity, while approximately 2.7 billion people depend on polluting biomass fuels for cooking and heating. While global access to clean energy stands at around 74 percent, this figure drops sharply to just 21 percent in Sub-Saharan Africa, clearly highlighting the scale of global energy inequality.
In this context, LPG’s safe, portable, and scalable nature makes a real difference. Replacing wood and biomass with LPG significantly reduces indoor air pollution, improves health outcomes for women and children, eases the physical burden of fuel collection, and helps limit deforestation. This is why WLGA’s clean cooking initiatives focus on scale, implementation, and measurable impact, because LPG is a solution that is available today and capable of improving lives while supporting a more inclusive and realistic energy transition.
At the same time, we are seeing strong global momentum behind LPG. Recent findings from the International Energy Agency (IEA) confirm that LPG remains the most widely used clean cooking fuel in many emerging markets. As governments introduce supportive policies such as tax reductions and simpler regulations, households are moving rapidly away from biomass. This shift is delivering immediate benefits, not only in terms of energy access, but also for public health, gender equality, and overall resilience.
At the policy level, an important turning point has been reached. For the first time, LPG has been formally recognised as a clean cooking fuel in the G20 Leaders’ Declaration. This recognition has encouraged many countries to reassess taxes and incentives, reduce unnecessary cost burdens, and create fairer competition with alternative fuels. As a result, the policy environment is becoming increasingly supportive of LPG’s role in the clean energy transition.
We are also seeing similar momentum in mature markets. In the United States, strong production and growing export capacity continue to strengthen global LPG supply. In Europe, LPG is increasingly positioned as a practical solution for energy security and decarbonisation, particularly in rural heating, supported by initiatives such as REPowerEU and increased U.S. imports.
Put simply, these developments show that we are moving into what I like to call a golden era of LPG. With governments embracing cleaner fuels, digital and safety innovations reshaping distribution models, and global supply chains becoming more resilient, LPG is no longer just a transition fuel. It is becoming a core part of the modern energy mix, supporting mobility, heating, and industry, while delivering real environmental, social, and economic value.
