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| HE Dr Al-Sada |
Qatar will host the global energy industry over the next five days as the 20th World Petroleum Congress and Exhibition begins in Doha today. Hosted by Qatar Petroleum, the 20th World Petroleum Congress and Exhibition will be attended by some 5,000 delegates, 500 speakers and 50 ministers from all over the world.
The theme of this year’s congress is ‘Energy Solutions for All: Promoting Cooperation, Innovation and Investment’.
The WPC is the largest event of its kind in the world and is hosted every three years by a member nation of the World Petroleum Council.
The 66-member council is the only international organisation representing the petroleum sector and includes both Opec and non-Opec member countries, representing more than 95% of the global energy market.
The WPC will discuss all aspects of the energy industry from technological advances in upstream and downstream operations to the role of natural gas, renewable and alternative energy, the management of the industry and its social, economic and environmental impact.
Considered as the ‘Olympian event of the industry’ it is attended by a global oil and gas audience and stakeholders such as governments, other industry sectors, NGOs and international institutions who also join in the dialogue. By staging the event, Qatar enters record books as it is the first time in the 75 year history of the World Petroleum Congress that the premier event is being held in the Middle East.
Also, Qatar is the first Opec country to host the World Petroleum Congress and Exhibition, which is the largest and most reputable oil and gas industry gathering in the world.
The five-day congress and exhibition will be held at the iconic Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC).
The WPC this year has the confirmed support of more than 50 companies including some of the world’s biggest brands, as partners and sponsors of the event. This includes international oil companies and the national oil companies of several countries, as well as multinational leaders in analytics, law, marketing and communication.
The plenary sessions will bring together ‘influential industry leaders’ from around the world.
The opening plenary will feature ministers from the region, including HE Dr Mohamed Saleh al-Sada, the Minister of Energy and Industry; Mohamed al- Hamli, UAE Minister of Energy; Dr Mohamed Mohsen al-Busairi, Kuwait’s State Minister of National Assembly Affairs and chairman of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation; Dr Mohamed bin Hamad al-Rumhy, Oman’s Minister of Oil and Gas; Dr Abdul Hussain bin Ali Mirza, Bahrain’s Minister of Oil and Gas and Rostam Ghasemi; Iran’s Minister of Petroleum.
Following the opening plenary with oil and gas ministers from the Middle East, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson and Shell CEO Peter Voser will be joining Dr al-Sada, in a high-level presentation on Qatar’s role in the future energy landscape. Other prominent dignitaries include Robert Dudley (BP), Russia’s Energy Minister Sergei Schmatko, Christophe de Margerie (Total), José Sergio Gabrielli (Petrobras, Brazil) and Nobel Peace prize winner FW de Klerk (South Africa).
For the first time in the congress’ history, the organising committee will be presenting awards to exhibitors based on the ‘three Rs’ – reduce, reuse and recycle. The awards will offer an opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their awareness of sustainability issues through the design and operation of their stand. A highlight is that the event will be carbon-neutral, host Qatar Petroleum said.
The WPC and international law firm Baker & McKenzie have acquired sufficient carbon credits to offset the anticipated emissions associated with the event that is held at Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), a green-technology venue.
The credits will be progressively retired to cover all the verified emissions from the WPC shortly after it concludes. The organising committee insisted upon strict criteria for any offsetting projects.
The event is also developing a detailed recycling plan in conjunction with Qatar Foundation to replicate at the QNCC (during the five-day congress and exhibition), the recycling operation currently being used at QF.
