The 23rd World Petroleum Congress, a triennial event and one of the biggest and most important for the energy industry in the United States, just kicked off in Houston This Sunday. The trademark event returns to Houston for the first time since 1987.
Firstly, the energy transition will be one of the most extensive subjects of the event. In this edition, oil company executives, energy ministers, and policymakers will attend to discuss the new needs of the oil and gas sector and its outlook for the future.
Moreover, due to its relevance and size, the World Petroleum Congress is called the Olympics of oil. As outlined above, it kicked off this Sunday and will last until Thursday. The George R. Brown Convention Center, downtown, is the place to be. According to specialists, the event expects about 2500 attendees.
In addition, the WPC has a deep history. Its first edition happened in 1933. Between 1937 and 1951, it endured a 14-year hiatus due to World War II. However, since 1991, it has been held every three years since. Calgary and Rio de Janeiro have been some host cities.
Furthermore, on Monday, during the kickstart of activities, US Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk said that oil and gas companies must embrace the energy transition and invest heavily in it. Otherwise, they risk facing financial failure.
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23rd World Petroleum Congress with five blocks for discussion
Turk also commented. “I don’t think we’re going to be successful unless major companies step up and are part of the solution. We cannot delude ourselves.” Turk noted that the US government is investing heavily in all sorts of solutions from wind and solar to de-carbonizing oil and gas through carbon capture projects and other means, as well as a renewed interest in nuclear power.
He also underlined that much of the necessary technology innovation must go towards making existing technologies more affordable. “We need to innovate; we need to keep pushing those prices down. It’s simplistic, but sometimes we lose sight of it, and it’s necessary to scale.”
On the other hand, the event will last until Thursday, as outlined above. The event will feature five discussion blocks. Innovation in upstream, the first; Innovation in downstream and petrochemicals, the second; also, innovation in natural gas, the third; the future of energy landscape, the fourth; and managing energy solutions, the fifth.
Finally, it will also feature expert workshops and technical conferences about the most recent technology for the sector. Click here to register and know more about the event.
