WORLD PETROLEUM COUNCIL PICKS HOUSTON TO HOST CONGRESS IN 2020:
YOU THINK Super Bowl LI® IS A BIG DEAL?
With the economic, logistical, and cultural
impact of a giant meteor, looming over the City of Houston on the eve of Super
Bowl LI, February 05, 2017, there was another December announcement given
to the city like a beautiful Christmas present, by the World Petroleum Council
[“WPC”]. They bestowed on us the privilege of hosting another Petroleum
Congress for the world audience to once-again come to Houston in 2020.
The WPC was established in 1933, based in
London, with the intent to promote the management of the world's petroleum
resources for the benefit of mankind, because energy is the lifeblood of
economic and social development.
WPC facilitates dialogue among internal and
external stakeholders in the petroleum industry on key technical, social,
environmental, and operations management issues. One of the primary goals is
to accomplish solutions to these issues in a neutral, and non-political way.
As more oil and gas is discovered
unconventionally, it is clear that we have entered an era of hydrocarbon abundance.
Although exploration and development projects executed in the next 20 years
will become more complex, more difficult to execute, and more expensive, many
of the leaders of the profession are leaving the field or are near retirement.
So during this time of massive change,
following one of the longest downturns in the economics of oil and gas in history; the interchange of ideas and the upbringing of a new generation of
energy professionals is as important a goal as when the WPC started in 1933.
The need for abundant fuel is just as acute in
2017 (e.g., more than one billion people lack access to electricity and modern
cooking fuels, and 75 million new cars are sold each year, globally). There is
an incredibly strong correlation between the use of fossil fuels and life
expectancy, and between fossil fuel use and income; one can observe the recent
history of China and India as examples. Human “flourishing” requires resources,
and abundant energy (points made by Alex J. Epstein in his book “The Moral Case for
Fossil Fuels,” 2014).
The First Congress, London, 1933
The First Petroleum Congress opened on July 19, 1933 at the Kensington
Science Museum, led by its President, Thomas Dewhurst, and 830 delegates from 35
countries. There had been massive developments in the oil industry since
the last scientific oil conference, held in 1907, so presentations were given
on the large numbers of reports on the geology of specific fields all over the
world and techniques used in exploration and development. Topics included: knock-rating
in motor and aviation gasoline, the development of special fuels for high-speed
compression engines, recent developments in lubricating oil and viscosity,
hydrogenation and the testing of bituminous emulsions.
Houston
Congress, 1987
The 12th Congress was held in Houston from April
26—May 1, 1987 and coincided with the massive Offshore Technology
Conference (“OTC”). Close association and joint promotion resulted in higher
attendance at both events. Then Vice President George H.W. Bush supported the
US bid to host the Twelfth Congress, while the US Secretary of Energy, John S.
Herrington, took part in the Opening Ceremony.
At the Houston Congress 2,286 participants from 72 countries
presented 104 papers. During the conference, the most serious accident in the
nuclear power industry to date occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, in
the Soviet Union. Again, this accident raised serious doubts about the
expansion of nuclear electricity generation.
The 23rd
Congress, to be held in Houston, 2020
WPC bestowed another honor, long overdue, on Houston, by
choosing it to host the 23rd Congress in 3 years (2020). Again,
thousands of industry leaders will meet here in the world’s energy capital to
present papers and carry on the tradition of discussing, learning, and promoting
better management of the world’s petroleum resources. The economic impact
during December 2020, typically a slow period for tourism, will be significant;
most likely as impactful as any OTC of previous years.
Though not as dynamic as 2017’s Super Bowl LI, the WPC is
known as the “Olympics” of the oil and gas sector, attracting over 6,000
delegates, 500 Ministers and CEOs, with an expected total of over 25,000
visitors to our city. Shortly after the mess is cleaned up from the massive invasion
of professional football fans, the city can start gearing up for the 23rd
World Petroleum Congress. Merry Christmas, 2020!
##
©Mark H. Pillsbury
