Saudi Arabia To Host 25th World Petroleum Congress

HASSAN OMOLARA HADISAT

It is now official that the 25th World Petroleum Congress (WPC) will be held in the Middle East.

This week members of the World Petroleum Council and the wider energy industry convened at the Kazakh-British
Technical University in the beautiful city of Almaty, Kazakhstan for the 7th WPC Youth Forum. The university also
hosted the 2022 Annual WPC Council meeting which was attended by representatives from 36 National Committees.

At this meeting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was awarded the right to host the prestigious triennial World Petroleum Congress due to take place in 2026.

P.M. EXPRESS reports that the 24th edition of the WPC will be held next year’s September in Calgary in Canada

A delegation of 23 people from Saudi Arabia, led by Eng. Mohammed Abdulrahman Al-Ibrahim, Assistant Minister of
Oil and Gas and including 17 representatives from the Ministry of Energy travelled to the Kazakhstani capital this week
to present their bid to host the Congress in the city of Riyadh. Surprisingly, this marks the first time that the event has
taken place in this country and only the second time in the WPC’s 89-year history that it has taken place in the Middle
East, the first being the 20th WPC Congress in Doha in 2011.

“Our industry is facing unprecedented challenges as it looks to secure future energy supplies whilst simultaneously.
transforming the global energy system. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the world’s leading oil producer and exporter
and with ambitious plans to grow its green economy, will provide the perfect backdrop to debate the latest technical
advancements and innovative strategies which will underpin the transition to net zero emissions. It has been a long
time coming and we are delighted that the World Petroleum Congress will finally be taking place on Saudi soil in
2026”. Said Pedro Miras, President of the WPC.

The Congress, with a typical attendance of over 15,000 provides a neutral and inclusive platform to debate and define
realistic, workable paths to a net zero future. The event brings together thought leaders from across the global energy
industry including Heads of State, Ministers, CEOs, Presidents & Heads of International Organisations, as well as
engineers, academics and the NGO community.

Story source: WPC