World Petroleum Council

The World Petroleum Council is a non-profit organization registered in the UK. The organization’s permanent Secretariat is headquartered in London, the UK. The WPC Secretariat manages the organization’s daily routine.

The WPC includes 62 world countries that account for more than 96% of the global oil and gas production and consumption. Each country has a National Committee which includes the representatives of oil and gas industry, academic communities, research institutes and governmental authorities.

The organization’s governing body is the Council including the representatives of national committees of all member countries. The Council’s meeting is convened once a year. The Council elects the members of the Congress Executive and Program Committees at the beginning of every three-year period. In addition, it selects a country for the next World Petroleum Congress from among the candidate countries.

In June 2008, the Association KAZENERGY joined the World Petroleum Council (World Petroleum Council, www.world-petroleum.org) to represent the interests of the oil and gas industry of Kazakhstan in this authoritative international organization.

WPC History
89 years ago Thomas Dewhurst suggested to his colleagues in the Oil Technology Institute to create an international forum dedicated to research to improve the industry. As a result, in July 1933, the first World Petroleum Congress was convened in London, it was attended by about a thousand participants from 24 countries and this was the first event in the oil industry and the technology which was truly global.

Today, WPC is the largest organization representing the interests of the global oil and gas community. This is an international, nonprofit, nonpolitical organization that provides a forum to discuss global issues of fuel and energy complex, as well as other issues relevant to the industry.

The mission of WPC is to promote the rational ways to manage the world's oil and gas resources in the interests of all mankind. WPC welcomes the application of scientific advances, new technologies, as well as taking into account the economic, financial, managerial, environmental and social impacts on the problem of the oil and gas industry.

The purpose of WPC is to build a dialogue between internal and external stakeholders who are seeking solutions to key technical, social and environmental issues, including managerial issues in the global energy sector and its benefits to mankind.

In pursuing its objective WPC is contributing to the sustainable development of the industry. Being a politically neutral organization the Council has received accreditation of the United Nations. The Secretariat (headquarters) is located in London.

Organization structure
The Council is the governing body which meets once a year. The WPC members elect the President and the Executive Committee for three years to develop and implement WPC strategies. In July 2021, Mr. Pedro Miras Salamanca was elected President of the World Petroleum Council.

The Council also chooses another country for the WPC main event - World Petroleum Congress and the Organizing Committee.

The World Petroleum Council Secretariat is based in London and headed by a Director and his staff. WPC Director General is Dr. Pierce Riemer.

The WPC participants provide the activities of the central organization through annual contributions. Other sources of funding are the WPC registration fees during the regular World Petroleum Congresses, royalties from publications and income from the investment activities of the organization.

In addition to the regular participants the Council also maintains contacts with a number of other interested countries, regional and international organizations, associations and individual specialists of the sector.

75 years later the original concept of the founders of the organization is still maintained and it consists in the fact that WOC should promote and develop the oil industry and exchange not only knowledge and information but also to establish friendly relations within the international oil community without any political, national or gender barriers.

Member Countries

Algeria
Angola
Argentina
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Belgium
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Brazil
Canada
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cuba
Czech Republic
Egypt
France
Germany
Ghana
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Iran
Israel
Japan
Kazakhstan
Korea
Kuwait
Libya
Macedonia
Mexico
Morocco
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Peru
Poland
Romania
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Slovak Republic
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Sudan
Suriname
Switzerland
Thailand
Trinidad & Tobago
Turkey
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Uruguay
USA
Venezuela
Vietnam

Benefits of membership in WPC
Membership in the WPC provides the maximum access to the latest information on the latest scientific and technological discoveries and advances, to the general economic and niche industry information as well as to the information about the current state of affairs in the oil and gas industry of almost all countries of the world.

National committees which are the WPC members have the opportunity to priority and preferential involvement of the World Petroleum Congress held once every three years in one of the participating countries (the next Congress will be held in Calgary in 2023 - see details below), as well as various other regional conferences and seminars.

In addition, WPC provides its members with the following opportunities:

assistance and resources for sharing knowledge and technologies in the field of oil and gas throughout the world;
collecting and disseminating the information through reports, regional meetings, round tables and seminars;
assisting in attracting expertise in the oil and gas industry;
drawing attention to the current issues of ecology, energy conservation and finding durable solutions;
assisting in the promotion of Kazakh products, services and expertise in the international markets;
creating opportunities for the development of international intra-and inter business;
strengthening the authority of the national company in the world.