The Executive Programme comprises plenary sessions, ministerial dialogues, leadership talks and strategic panels that frame the macro-level challenges and opportunities facing global energy systems. Featuring discussions led by energy ministers, CEOs and policy experts, this strand is about forging a shared vision, shaping policy frameworks and catalysing global cooperation.
The Congress opens with high-level dialogues touching on the ‘Future of Energy’, ‘Perspectives on Global Oil and Gas Markets’ and the ‘Energy Trilemma’—designed to address the triple challenge of balancing energy security, affordability and sustainability. These sessions set the tone for understanding the energy system not just as a market, but as a socio-economic infrastructure where geopolitical tensions, climate commitments and market volatility intersect.
Plenary discussions such as ‘Oil and Gas Markets: Why Global Energy Security Matters’, ’Oil Market Fundamentals: Enabling Investment Decisions to Meet Global Energy Demand’ and ‘Financing the Energy Future’ underscore the ongoing relevance of hydrocarbons in underpinning economic activity, even as emissions commitments intensify. The emphasis here is on investment signal clarity, risk management and secure financial flows in markets that are still adapting to evolving demand patterns, under-investment and supply chain disruption.
Meeting demand cost-effectively increasingly means embracing digital technology. Digital transformation is no longer peripheral—AI, cloud computing and big-data analytics are reshaping how energy organisations operate. The session ‘Digital Technologies: Driving Productivity, Cost, and Performance in the Energy Sector’ will explore these issues at a high level, highlighting how digitalisation is rapidly becoming a key factor in the race to gain a competitive edge.
Technical Programme
The Technical Programme is designed to do more than showcase industry expertise—it is structured to map the real pathways shaping the global energy system at a moment of profound change. From critical raw materials and infrastructure resilience to AI and finance, the programme signals that the future of energy will be defined not by a single solution, but by coordinated progress across a number of sectors.
Block One sessions will focus on forecasts for energy supply and demand, including conventional hydrocarbons and emerging sources. Workshops on shale, oil sands, exploration technologies and biofuels underscore that despite rapid growth in renewables, fossil fuels remain central to meeting global energy demand in the near term—especially in developing markets. These sessions lay the groundwork for understanding how energy systems can evolve without compromising access or affordability.
The global energy transition hinges on infrastructure that can handle volatility, support diverse energy vectors—such as hydrogen and LNG—and integrate digital operations for smarter logistics and risk management.
Block Two sessions will explore LNG dynamics, pipelines, strategic storage, hydrogen transportation, supply chain management and water innovation. Financing and implementing this infrastructure will be critical to ensuring energy security, enabling the scale-up of low-carbon solutions and maintaining affordability for consumers while supporting the rapid pace of the global energy transition.
Block Three sessions will include detailed presentations on green and blue hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, alternative fuels, net-zero refining and critical minerals. Alternative fuels are essential to decarbonising sectors like heavy shipping, aviation and industrial refining that cannot be easily electrified. Meanwhile, critical minerals underpin battery, datacentres, advanced manufacturing and renewable power technologies. Securing them has become as strategically important as energy supply itself, shaping global geopolitical alignments and investment flows.
Perhaps the most forward-looking block in the Technical Programme is Block Four, which will focus on energy technologies such as AI, smart infrastructure and cybersecurity. These tools are reshaping every stage of energy production and distribution—from reservoir modelling and autonomous operations to predictive maintenance and grid stabilisation. Investment is accelerating globally, yet challenges remain in governance, data security and energy use.
Workshops featuring cutting-edge research on smart grids, IoT and AI applications, methane detection and the grid integration of renewables will help equip attendees to navigate this rapidly changing future.
But technical innovation alone will not drive the energy transition. Policies that balance reliability, environmental goals and market incentives are essential—as are governance frameworks and skilled workforces capable of executing ambitious energy strategies worldwide. The final block, Block Five, will investigate this essential interplay between technology and leadership. Forums will cover energy access for all, public policy on climate and supply security, ESG frameworks and human capital development.
To register for the 25th WPC Energy Congress, please visit: www.wpcenergy2026.org
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