World Energy Congress 2013: setting the oil & gas sector in context

SEOUL & LONDON, 8 August 2013: The future of the shale gas revolution and concerns over oil price discovery are among the cornerstone issues to be debated by senior oil and gas industry executives at the World Energy Congress in Daegu, Korea, from 13 to 17 October 2013.

Keynote speeches from Saudi Aramco CEO Khalid Al-Falih and Royal Dutch Shell CEO Peter Voser, plus a special event led by Alexander Novak, the Russian Minister of Energy, on the new positioning of Russia, will be among the highlights of the world’s most prestigious energy event.

They will be joined by speakers from a wide range of leading national and international companies active in the oil and gas sector, such as BG Group, ConocoPhillips, Duke Energy, Ecopetrol, ExxonMobil, Gazprom, Japex, ONGC, Pemex, Pertamina, Sonatrach, TransCanada and Woodside Energy.

Government ministers from influential oil nations from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East will also be contributing to the debate, underlining the unique status of the triennial World Energy Congress as the only truly global and inclusive energy industry forum.  And with the exploration and production pipeline building back up to critical mass, including new discoveries in previously unexplored territories and major projects (such as in the Caspian Sea) coming on stream, there has never been a better time to find out where the industry will go next.

Christoph Frei, Secretary General of the World Energy Council, commented:

“World energy markets are in a state of flux, and uncertainties abound. The shale gas revolution has caused ripple effects around the world. It has offered North America renewed hope of being energy self-sufficient, is fuelling Russia’s new position in gas, altering the global flow of energy trade, and opening up for the first time the possibility of the delinking of oil and gas prices. The global energy map is being redrawn.  Are we at a tipping point?  The oil and gas sector will be at the heart of this important debate amongst industry leaders and ministers at our World Energy Congress.”

The oil and gas sector will feature prominently in the Congress programme, including the following headline sessions:

-        Shale gas and oil: is it just a bubble?
-        Focus Russia: Key policy innovations and international cooperation in a transformed energy world
-        Oil price transparency: improving the international price discovery process
-        North America: Energy self-sufficient by 2025?
-        New dynamics of Asian LNG markets
-        The rise of NOCs and Independents: More of the same or changing the game?

Hwan-eik Cho, Chairman of the World Energy Congress 2013 Organizing Committee, added:

“The debate of these issues could not be more timely. With natural gas, in particular, being positioned as a means of delivering secure, lower carbon energy across the world, it is important to agree a framework within which oil and gas technologies can be implemented that integrate with other energy sectors.  We look forward to hosting this dynamic and essential discussion and look forward to meaningful progress being made.”

Under the theme Securing Tomorrow’s Energy Today, Congress participants will debate some of the most urgent energy challenges facing the world. Held every three years, the Congress comes as Asia is taking an increasingly influential global role as an energy producer and consumer, while its trading and cultural ties with Europe, the Americas, Africa and the Middle East continue to grow.

The World Energy Congress takes place between 13 and 17 October 2013 at the EXCO Exhibition & Convention Center in Daegu, South Korea.

Visit the World Energy Congress website: www.daegu2013.kr