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Wednesday, May 14, 2014
The 21st World Petroleum Congress in Moscow: Responsibly Energising a Growing World
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With over 55,000 m2 exhibition space, 5000 attendees and more than 500 CEO’s, presidents and government ministers attending, the 21st World Petroleum Congress will be the largest oil and gas event in 2014. Held in Moscow from 15 – 19 June, 2014, the Congress provides excellent opportunities for networking and building international cooperation and a unique chance to learn about the latest scientific and technological advances in the global oil and gas industry.
The main aim for the Congress is to encourage everyone involved in the petroleum industry to share their experience and ideas, to promote dialogue between the key stakeholders and to identify long-term goals that our industry must pursue in order to ensure the delivery of our mission: sustainable exploration, production, and consumption of oil and natural gas and their products for the benefit of the humanity.
The Congress will take place at the same time as the football World Cup starts in Brazil. As with the World Cup, the 21st WPC will bring together the highest level and most important players representing all stakeholders of the oil and gas industry: executives, experts, government authorities, NGOs and society representatives. Together with the largest oil and gas exhibition ever to take place in Russia, the 21st World Petroleum Congress will be the most important gathering for the industry in 2014.
The huge event is being organised by the Russian National Committee of the World Petroleum Council under the leadership of the Russian Federation and the heads of relevant Russian Ministries which provide all necessary assistance to ensure a successful world-class event for the 21st World Petroleum Congress. The Russian Federation government has issued two decrees on this matter and formed a high-level Organizing Committee. The Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation,. A.V. Dvorkovich was appointed as Chairman of the 21st WPC Organizing Committee. The Organizing Committee includes heads of the largest Russian oil companies and banks, representatives of the federal government as well as the leading scientists of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The programme of the Congress was evaluated by some of the leading authorities in the Russian oil and gas sector. One of the most respected experts in the field of petrochemistry and refining, Academician Salambek Khadzhiev, confirmed that the programme reflects the current state of art and development prospects for the global petroleum industry, that is formulates topical challenges at the global level and incorporates all aspects of the most complex sector of the world economy. The issue concerning the development of Arctic Shelf hydrocarbon resources has been prominently included in the programme, as well as a number of issues relevant to Russian industry and science, regarding refining and petrochemistry, which were put forward by the Russian Programme Committee.
“It is important for Russia to discuss new technologies for downstream processing with global oil and gas experts, as this remains one of the most pertinent problems for this country. But Russia has the opportunity to turn this gap round to its advantage: today, new processes are being developed – more effective and less ecologically damaging than those which have been launched in the US and Western Europe in recent decades,” said Academician Khadzhiev in his conclusions.
A program for all the industry
With 680 industry leaders and decision makers addressing the Congress, the comprehensive technical program will cover the whole spectrum of the oil and gas sector, including upstream, downstream, gas, sustainable management of the industry and the Arctic. High-level plenary sessions special sessions, forums, round tables and best practice keynotes will provide expert view and knowledge about the latest development in the industry.
Ministers from countries such as Angola, Colombia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Nigeria, Qatar, and Norway will be addressing the Congress, as well as heads of companies and organisations such as Rex Tillerson, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Exxon Mobil Corporation, Maria das Graças Silva Foster, CEO of Brazil’s Petrobras, HE Abdalla Salem El-Badri, the OPEC Secretary General, Bob Dudley, Chairman of the Board for BP, Maria van der Hoeven, Executive Director of the IEA, Dr. Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman, IHS and Pullitzer Prize Winner for “The Prize” and over 500 other industry leaders and decision makers.
The theme for the 21st World Petroleum Congress in Moscow is “Responsibly Energising a Growing World”
The Congress will address this ambitious goal by debating all aspects of energy supply and energy use. Access to energy is fundamental to development and in improving livelihood for people. The congress will focus the debate on solutions and innovation in producing energy, and on reliable, sustainable and wise use in both a near and long term perspective.
To meet the global energy demand, the producers, consumers, society and governments need to work in close cooperation to develop energy resources in a responsible way to achieve energy efficiency. To make this happen the industry has to energize professionals from all involved parties to become even more innovative. It is important to energize the youth and future generation son the issues we are currently facing in developing energy resources.
The congress takes place in Russia this time which makes it a natural to address the challenging Arctic issues in a comprehensive way. Massive investments are needed to supply energy to a growing world. Investors, governments and other stakeholder perspectives on geopolitical and other visionary issues will also be highlighted and debated.
An international Congress Programme Committee (CPC) with 17 experts from around the world, under the leadership of Tor Fjæran from Statoil in Norway, started years ago in their work to develop a comprehensive, topical and engaging programme for the Congress. They concluded with 90 sessions across four days and selected 680 presenters to cover the wide range of issues to be discussed.
The program for 21st WPC will include a number of features. High-level Plenaries from leading industry decision makers, interactive Round Tables and in-depth Forums with innovative Posters on a wide variety of industry aspects will address the status quo and the main challenges the sector is facing. Best Practice Keynotes on the main issues in the upstream, downstream, natural gas and management of the industry will add further to the quality of the program. Key issues such as balancing the requirements of supply and demand, social and environmental responsibilities of the industry and ensuring the attraction and retention of the next generation of professionals will be addressed throughout the four days of the Congress
The technical program of the 21st World Petroleum Congress is organised in four thematic blocks, covering a wide range of industry topics:
Block 1: Exploration and Production of Oil and Natural Gas
Block 2: Refining, Transportation and Petrochemistry
Block 3: Natural Gas Processing, Transportation and Marketing
Block 4: Sustainable Management of the Industry
Exploration and Production of Oil and Natural Gas
Advanced new technologies and innovative thinking continue to be the most successful strategies to find and develop oil and natural gas in ever more challenging new provinces, from inhospitable deserts and mountain ranges to the ultra deepwater and ultra deep reservoirs. Unconventional thinking has led to the unlocking of vast resources in unconventional reservoirs, while new technologies in data acquisition and processing, reservoir management, drilling, completion and flow assurance, among others, are the most effective tools to discover new oil and gas in both proven and frontier basins. The first Block on Exploration and Production will debate the latest technological developments and innovative ideas that continue pushing peak oil to the far future. The Forums will address E&P challenges in old fields, arctic, deep water and in unconventional oil and gas. Further new technologies, drilling and production technologies, reservoir management will be presented. Knowledge sharing is important in learning and developing. The Best Practice sessions will give examples on how to manage mega projects and in managing E&P risks. Moderated roundtables will go deeper into a few subjects; the new resources, new geographic frontiers and optimizing cycle time
Refining, Transportation and Petrochemistry
The sustainable consumption of fossil fuels and petrochemical products and growing concerns with environmental footprint will require increasingly more restrictive specifications of products on what respects energy efficiency, emissions and air contaminants. Also, refineries and petrochemical plants will have to develop new processing technologies that, while meeting the above specification requirements, ensure maximum flexibility in view of constantly changing mix of available feedstocks. Oil and gas transportation over longer distances will require huge investments in pipelines, tanker fleets and other facilities and improved design to prevent accidents. In this Congress Block experts will address the new trends in refining and petrochemical processing technologies, advances in fuel quality and engine efficiency and plant optimization with respect to energy consumption, safety and environmental footprint. Other topics include the carbon footprint from fuels and petrochemicals, catalytic processes for hydrocarbon conversion and biofuels production technologies while pipeline transportation and storage and valorization of NGL’s are also on the agenda.
Natural Gas Processing, Transportation and Marketing
Natural Gas will play an increasingly important role in the energy matrix of the world. However, transportation of large amounts of natural gas over large distances usually require massive investments and large scale industrialization plants. Under this header the Congress will seek to address the latest innovations in project design and management, implementation of large facilities, regional supply and demand balance and pricing mechanisms, efficiency gains in GTL, CTL, LNG, CBM and CNG projects and opportunities to monetize stranded gas resources. The impact of the growing unconventional gas supply is expected to be of key interest. For many the session on how to meet the growing demand from Asia should be engaging. In this context long distance transportation issues and solutions will also be addressed. Best practices sharing in hydraulic fracturing and gas mega projects and two moderated roundtables evaluating the global gas market and the future of natural gas in the energy mix should attract many participants.
Sustainable management of the Industry
To earn the right from society to continue doing business profitably the industry must incorporate sustainability standards as part of its business model. This includes conducting business in the highest ethical manner and regulatory compliance, promoting the well being of the communities where it operates, implementing more stringent standards on safety and environmental protection, and respecting the human rights of people that it affects directly or indirectly, all while returning fair profits to shareholders. Here we will address practices and innovative approaches in dealing with environmental issues, renewable sources of energy, improving safety standards, social responsibility, transparency initiatives, attraction and retention of human resources and good governance practices.
A new record for abstract submissions
The Congress achieved a new record when inviting international experts to submit proposals for these topics. 2000 abstracts were received from 61 countries for the 25 Fora, 9 Best Practice Keynote sessions and 12 moderated Roundtables. About 42% of the abstracts submitted came from people younger than 35 years of age. I am happy to see that this is an increase from previous years. Most submissions came from a group of four countries; Iran, China, Russia and India. This is also reflected in selected papers and posters, when 80 countries will be represented on the podium delivering their presentations.
The largest ever oil and gas exhibition in Russia
The World Petroleum Congress is traditionally supplemented by the World Petroleum Exhibition (WPE), showcasing the industry and its key players on the global level. The growing interest in Russia’s oil and gas industry is an important factor attracting over 500 exhibitors from more than 80 countries. Covering 55,000 sq.m., the exhibition is the largest ever in the WPC history as well as the largest oil and gas event ever to be held in Russia. More than 3000 global operators, contractors, suppliers and services will present their companies and strategic operations in front of over 20,000 visitors. The heart of the World Petroleum Exhibition is the Global Business Opportunities Center (GBOC), which features exhibits from the seventy National Committees of the World Petroleum Council.
The Exhibition will also feature key attractions such as the Social Responsibility Global Village, the Youth Stand, the Digital Poster Plaza and the Media Village with more than 500 global media representatives.
“Earning a Social License to Operate”
The Social Responsibility Programme at the 21st World Petroleum Congress (WPC) has adopted the theme of “Earning a Social License to Operate”. This theme was selected in recognition of the important role that the petroleum industry can, and does, play in promoting the economic and social progress of communities in which they operate.
Understanding and managing societal expectations in resource extraction is key to establishing positive working relations with communities and the bodies that govern them. It has often been said that while Governments grant permits, it is the community that gives permission, and ultimately a social license to operate.
Social responsibility has evolved to be much more than just “doing good”. Today it must seek to inform, involve and inspire stakeholders and those impacted, in order to make them advocates and partners in the development and ongoing operations of our industry.
The Congress will explore how best to integrate social responsibility as part of the overall business strategy, opening new doors to exciting opportunities when used effectively. High-level sessions will bring together industry leaders and stakeholders to explore these issues. Ministers and heads of companies including Indian Oil, Repsol, Ecopetrol, and the OPEC Fund for International Development will be addressing how the need for energy, vital for economic development and progress, can be met while addressing environmental and social impacts associated with increasing demand for energy resources. Some of these challenges and expectations include minimizing operational footprint, HSE and risk management through operational excellence, corporate social responsibility, and changing public sentiment.
Social Responsibility Global Village
A key component of the Social Responsibility Programme at the 21st WPC will be the Social Responsibility “Global Village” (SRGV). Hosted in the center of the World Petroleum Exhibition, the Global Village will showcase projects and initiatives that showcase successful examples of cooperation between the petroleum industry and the communities they engage with.
260 m2 have been allocated to promote industry approaches and activities on Social Responsibility. The SRGV will be located at Stand C11 in Hall 15 of Crocus Expo, adjacent to the 21st WPC Youth Lounge, taking advantage of the energy provided by the next generation in the industry and their interest in creating a sustainable future. The two areas benefit from a cross-over of topics and target audiences with many young people particularly interested in the CSR efforts of the industry. They will share an auditorium with seating for about 50 people and provide a wide choice of activities throughout the week as well as café facilities.
The “Social Responsibility Global Village” stand will provide a hub for networking with experts and interested stakeholders and will feature a host of activities, including presentations, interactive discussions, an industry survey, and a daily quest with prizes. Highlights will include the presentation of the winning projects from the WPC’s Excellence Awards for Social Responsibility and a celebration of IPIECA’s 40th Anniversary. Daily “SR Knowledge Tours” will take small groups on a guided tour around the World Petroleum Exhibition to meet with a number of companies for a 15 minute visit each and an overview of their Social Responsibility initiatives.
Selected companies have been invited to share their experiences and provide case studies of practical engagement and joint projects with local communities and other stakeholders at the stand. They will cover the topics identified in the SR theme for the Congress and showcase how companies can earn a social license to operate.
Engaging the next generation
The energy of young people is a driving force for global sustainable development. This is an inexhaustible energy source that promotes innovation, out-of-the-box thinking and international cooperation between peers and senior experts in the energy field. The World Petroleum Council, recognising the importance of providing young professionals and students with an active seat at the table, invited the WPC Youth Committee to create an interactive programme to attract and involve young people in the Congress.
Young people were offered an opportunity to provide abstracts for the main technical programme of the Congress and to have the chance to be selected as an official presenter and even receive an Excellence Award for Youth. Over 100 young people under 35 benefited from this opportunity and will now be presenting on key industry topics during the Congress. At the Congress they will be able to attend a special Youth Debate or take part in the daily discussion sessions and leadership training at the dedicated Youth Lounge in the exhibition. Throughout the event, young delegates will be able to meet global energy leaders, attend technical tours and social events, and benefit from networking with their peers.
To gather the views of young people and integrate them in the programme discussions, the Youth Committee launched a global Youth Survey and will be sharing the results at the Congress.
A team of 300 young volunteers was selected from international nominations and students at Moscow’s prestigious Gubkin University to participate in the Congress and to welcome the international participants to Russia.
WPC Excellence Awards
Every three years at the Congress, the WPC Excellence Awards (WPCEA) recognise companies, institutions or organisations (not individuals) engaged in the oil and gas industry for promoting or operating with high excellence standards in the areas of Technological Developments and Social Responsibility. The winners of these prestigious awards will be announced at the WPC Excellence Awards Ceremony on the first day of the Congress.
Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah to receive the Dewhurst Award
In one of the highlights of the Congress, HE Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah is being recognised for his “outstanding contribution to the oil and gas industry” with the highest honour of the World Petroleum Council, the Dewhurst Award. This distinguished lifetime achievement award celebrates his exceptional role as the architect of Qatar’s energy transformation.
The Gulf state’s former energy minister who now chairs Qatar’s Administrative Control and Transparency Authority will be presented with WPC’s prestigious Dewhurst Award at the close of the 21st World Petroleum Congress. The Award is named after Thomas Dewhurst, who organized the first World Petroleum Congress in 1933. Celebrating scientific and technological excellence in the petroleum industry, the Award is a tribute to him and to the person asked to deliver the Dewhurst Lecture.
Having led Qatar’s rise to one of the key players in the global gas sector and the world’s largest exporter of LNG, HE Al Attiyah, joins a prestigious group of past recipients who have been respected leaders in the industry and demonstrated unusually high achievements over many years. Like his predecessors such as the previous recipients, Guillerme Estrella from Brazil and HE Ali Al Naimi, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, the Chairman of Qatar’s Administrative Control and Transparency Authority will be giving the Dewhurst Lecture, one of the highlights of the event, at the close of the world’s largest oil and gas congress on the 19th June 2014.
Dr Renato Bertani, President of the World Petroleum Council has great praise for Qatar’s gas visionary: “Al Attiyah is an inspirational leader for our industry and has left an enormous legacy for his country and the sector as a whole. It was a pleasure to meet him and his team during the preparation of the 20th WPC in 2011 in Doha, and on behalf of our board and the 70 member countries of the World Petroleum Council, I am delighted to congratulate him on this recognition.”
Welcome to the Kremlin
One of the most beautiful and important historical and architectural monuments, the Kremlin, is situated in the very centre of Moscow. Here is where the official Opening Ceremony will take place on the first day of the Congress. Opposite the offices of President Putin, the Kremlin Palace will host up to 4000 delegates for a warm Russian welcome to their capital and the 21st World Petroleum Congress. Following an informal exploration of the grounds with its famous churches and monuments, the participants will be treated to a festive ceremony of Russian culture and entertainment followed by a typical Russian Gala Dinner.
Russian Nights in Gorky Park
One of the most exciting areas of Gorky Park, Moscow’s favourite outdoor recreation space, will play host to the traditional night of celebrating the host country’s culture and traditions. Muzeon, the “Sculpture Park” will be opening up some of the most exciting pages of Russia’s history and arts exclusively to the Congress delegates. Under the watchful eyes of poets and generals, writers and thinkers, stories from Russia’s past and present will unfold in front of the visitor’s eyes.
Join us in Moscow
The 21st World Petroleum Congress will bring together a vast range of knowledge and expertise provided by industry leaders and stakeholders of the oil and gas sector. Under the theme Responsibly Energising a Growing World we will discuss the key issues our industry is facing, the most advanced technologies that are necessary to continue finding oil and gas and how to finance the massive amounts of capital that will have to be invested in the next decades to meet the world’s growing demand. A key component of the programme will be the discussion of the best practices in social responsibility, ethics and transparency in doing business, which are essential to long term sustainability of the industry. The Congress will disseminate knowledge and best practices, promote a dialogue between stakeholders and identify the long term goals that we must pursue as an industry that is committed to promoting society’s well-being around the globe.
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