31 July 2018, Sweetcrude, Lagos — The World Energy Council is pleased to announce Russia as the winner of the bid to host the 2022 World Energy Congress, the premier triennial gathering of the energy sector.
The announcement follows a vote by the Council’s member countries in an excitingly contested campaign between Portugal, Russia, and the USA. St Petersburg will become the site for the 25th World Energy Congress.
Dr. Christoph Frei, Secretary General of the Council, commented: “On behalf of the Council I want to congratulate Russia for winning the bid to host the 2022 Congress and thank all bidding countries for their excellent bids. The Portuguese, Russian and USA bid teams presented strong cases to host the event and it is clear that each of these cities would be an exciting and accomplished destination to host a World Energy Congress.”
Alexander Novak, Chairman of the Council’s Russian member committee and Minister of Energy of the Russian Federation, said: “On behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation, allow me to thank everyone for making their choice in favour of Russia. As one of the oldest members and co-founders of the World Energy Council, we have always believed in the importance and power of non-political dialogue in such an important sector as energy. We will work further together in strengthening our undivided approach within the Council membership and joining our efforts in achieving maximum results for our future generations to benefit from. We will be waiting for you in St Petersburg in 2022.”
The World Energy Council’s Congress is the leading international event gathering global energy leaders to address the challenges of providing sustainable energy supplies and explore emerging trends critical to the sector, at a time of major change and energy transition.
Executive Secretary of the Council’s Russian member committee, Nataliya Zaiser, said: “We are very proud that among such strong and worthy competitors, Russia has been selected a host country for World Energy Congress 2022. We sincerely thank all the national committees, the Secretariat and the Board of the Council for the excellent implementation of the bidding campaign and full support to all of the bidding countries! We assure you that Russia will make every effort to organize the World Energy Congress in St. Petersburg at the highest possible level.”
“I would like to thank all the member committees who carefully considered the bids and took the time to vote. The international network of the World Energy Council looks forward to working closely with the Russian 2022 Congress Organising Committee to prepare for yet another excellent event. Meanwhile, we are excited about an innovation-focused 2019 World Energy Congress next September in Abu Dhabi,” said Dr. Frei.
Since 1924, the triennial World Energy Congress has been the World Energy Council’s global flagship event and the world’s premier energy congress, gathering high-level speakers, Ministers, CEO’s, energy professionals, industry experts, academia and global media, to discuss critical developments in the energy sector. With more than 4,000 delegates, the event represents all sectors of the energy system and offers a unique opportunity for participants to convene, share, discuss and better understand the latest trends from a global perspective.
Next year the 24th World Energy Congress will take place in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates in 2019. It will be the first time the Congress will be held in the Gulf States.