25th WPC Energy Congress 2026

About the event
Riyadh hosts the 25th WPC Energy Congress, formerly the World Petroleum Congress, from 11 to 15 October 2026 at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Center. It is the first time the congress is held in the Kingdom, and the theme of this edition is Pathways to an Energy Future for All.
The congress runs for five days and brings together ministers, chief executives, experts, academics, engineers and international media. The organiser states that more than 100 ministers are invited, and expects around 500 chief executives and 25,000 attendees including 6,000 delegates, alongside an exhibition of 50,000 square metres. The content is divided across an Executive Programme of plenary, ministerial and strategic sessions, a Technical Programme of 31 forums covering energy supply, infrastructure, fuels and molecules, technologies and industry leadership, the Synergy Pavilion Programme, and a Special Programme that includes the Energy Hackathon, the Best Paper Award, the World Cafe and a virtual reality zone.
Visitor registration is free and covers the exhibition, the Technical and Special Programmes and the Synergy Pavilion. A delegate pass is USD 3,150 until 11 September 2026 and USD 3,450 thereafter until the end of the congress, adding the Executive Programme, the welcome reception and closing ceremony, tours and meals, with a ten per cent discount for groups above five delegates. Riyadh Energy Week runs alongside the congress at the same venue and includes the IEF17 Ministerial Meeting, the joint 17th Clean Energy Ministerial and 11th Mission Innovation Ministerial, and an OAPEC workshop and symposium, all attended by invitation.
Agenda
59- 09:45–17:00IEF17 Ministerial MeetingCongress Center · By invitation
- 18:00–20:00Welcome ReceptionCongress Center
- 09:00–09:25KSA Inauguration for Congress and ExhibitionPlenary Hall · Inaugural session
- 09:25–10:15Ministerial Dialogue: Future of EnergyPlenary Hall · Panel
- 10:15–11:05Ministerial Dialogue: Perspectives on Global Oil and Gas MarketsPlenary Hall · Panel
- 11:35–12:00The Dewhurst Lecture and AwardPlenary Hall · Keynote address
- 12:00–12:45Oil and Gas Markets: Why Global Energy Security Matters?Plenary Hall · PL01
- 13:00–13:45Industry Leader PerspectivesAuditorium 1 · Plenary session
- 13:45–14:15Ministerial Dialogue – Vision 2030: Economic Transformation and Global CompetitivenessPlenary Hall · Ministerial session
- 15:00–15:45Ministerial Dialogue: Balancing Priorities in The Energy TrilemmaPlenary Hall · Panel
- 15:45–16:30Digital Technologies: Driving Productivity, Cost, and Performance in the Energy SectorPlenary Hall · PL02
- 16:30–17:15Leadership Perspectives in a Time of Energy TransformationPlenary Hall · Leadership talk
- 16:30–17:15Strategies for an Evolving Global Energy SystemAuditorium 1 · ST01
- 16:30–17:15Financing the Energy FutureAuditorium 2 · ST02
- 17:15–18:00How Resilience and Sustainability Together Deliver Competitive AdvantageAuditorium 1 · ST03
- 17:15–18:00New Strategies for Redefining UpstreamAuditorium 2 · ST04
- 08:00–17:00OAPEC High-level WorkshopCongress Center · By invitation
- 09:00–09:45Partnering for Success – Challenges and OpportunitiesPlenary Hall · PL03
- 09:45–10:30Reshaping Transport and Energy TechnologiesPlenary Hall · PL04
- 10:45–11:30Energy and AI as Co-EnablersPlenary Hall · PL05
- 11:45–12:00Powering the Energy TransitionLeadership talk
- 11:45–12:30Leadership Dialogue 01Auditorium 1 · Keynote address
- 11:45–12:30Universal Energy Access for AllAuditorium 2 · ST05
- 11:45–12:30Downstream and Petrochemicals: Transformation and DemandAuditorium 3 · ST06
- 12:30–13:15Saudi Energy Sector Funding OutlookAuditorium 1 · ST07
- 12:30–13:15Advancing Energy through InnovationAuditorium 2 · ST08
- 12:30–13:15Member Country Presentation: CanadaAuditorium 3 · Presentation
- 13:15–14:15Oil Market Fundamentals: Enabling Investment Decisions to Meet Global Energy DemandPlenary Hall · PL06
- 14:15–15:15WPC Energy Excellence AwardsPlenary Hall
- 15:30–16:15Member Country Presentation: KazakhstanAuditorium 1 · Presentation
- 15:30–16:15The Global Oil Markets: What is Driving GrowthAuditorium 2 · ST09
- 15:30–16:15Safety as a Pillar of the Energy FutureAuditorium 3 · ST10
- 16:15–17:00Policy and Regulatory FrameworksAuditorium 1 · Roundtable
- 16:15–17:00CCE: From Framework to ApplicationAuditorium 2 · ST11
- 16:15–17:00Member Country Presentation: TurkiyeAuditorium 3 · Presentation
- 19:00–20:00Saudi Arabian NightSocial event · By invitation
- 08:00–17:00OAPEC Technical SeminarCongress Center · By invitation
- 09:00–10:00Social Priorities in a Changing Energy LandscapePlenary Hall · PL07
- 10:00–11:00Efficiency and Optimizing Energy MixPlenary Hall · PL08
- 11:30–12:30Member Country Presentation: AzerbaijanAuditorium 1 · Presentation
- 11:30–12:30Natural Gas: Future OutlookAuditorium 2 · ST12
- 11:30–12:30Advancing Diversity and Inclusive Leadership within the Energy EcosystemAuditorium 3 · ST13
- 12:30–13:20Securing Critical Raw MaterialsPlenary Hall · PL09
- 13:20–14:10Unlocking Energy Infrastructure BottlenecksPlenary Hall · PL10
- 14:10–14:30Leadership Talk: topic to be announcedPlenary Hall · Keynote address
- 15:00–16:00Member Country Presentation: IranAuditorium 1 · Presentation
- 15:00–16:00The New Frontier in Cybersecurity and Digital RiskAuditorium 2 · ST14
- 15:00–16:00Scaling Renewables for a Viable Energy FutureAuditorium 3 · ST15
- 16:00–17:00Catalyzing Youth Leadership: Empowering the Next GenerationAuditorium 1 · ST16
- 16:00–17:00Powering Growth in Emerging MarketsAuditorium 2 · ST17
- 16:00–17:00Member Country Presentation: to be announcedAuditorium 3 · Presentation
- 08:00–13:45OAPEC Technical SeminarCongress Center · By invitation
- 09:00–10:00Scaling Energy TechnologyPlenary Hall · PL11
- 10:00–11:00Pathways to an Energy Future for AllPlenary Hall · PL12
- 11:30–12:30Unlocking the Full Potential of CCUSAuditorium 1 · ST18
- 11:30–12:30Member Country Presentation: to be announcedAuditorium 2 · Presentation
- 12:30–13:30Harnessing Global Carbon MarketsAuditorium 1 · ST19
- 12:30–13:30Member Country Presentation: to be announcedAuditorium 2 · Presentation
- 14:00–15:30Congress Closing and Handover CeremonyPlenary Hall · Social event




































