The 25th WPC Energy Congress, hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the first time in WPC's 93-year history, returns to Riyadh from 11–15 October 2026 under the theme "Pathways to an Energy Future for All." This landmark gathering — the world's premier triennial energy forum — will assemble more than 25,000 global energy stakeholders, 100 ministers, 800 speakers, and a 50,000 square-meter exhibition floor at the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Centre (RFECC).
The Congress takes place during Riyadh Energy Week (11–15 October 2026), which convenes ministerial gatherings of the International Energy Forum (IEF17), the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), and marks the official launch of the 2026 OPEC Annual Statistical Bulletin — making the Saudi capital the global epicenter of energy policy and dialogue for that week.
The technical and executive programme spans five strategic blocks: Primary Energy Supply Pathways, Decarbonization & New Energies, Energy Markets & Geopolitics, Innovation & Digital Transformation, and Energy Leadership for the Future. More than 30 technical forums will address hydrocarbons, hydrogen, carbon capture (CCUS), renewables, nuclear, and the petrochemical value chain. The Synergy Pavilion Programme brings cross-disciplinary perspectives, while the Special Programme features hackathons, the Best Paper Award, and the Young Professionals track.
Confirmed top speakers include HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman AlSaud (Minister of Energy, Saudi Arabia), Pedro Miras (President, WPC Energy), Haitham Al Ghais (Secretary General, OPEC), Vicki Hollub (President & CEO, Occidental — first woman to receive the prestigious Dewhurst Award), Wael Sawan (CEO, Shell), Patrick Pouyanné (Chairman & CEO, TotalEnergies), Lorenzo Simonelli (Baker Hughes), Olivier Le Peuch (SLB), Qijun Hou (Sinopec), Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh (SABIC), and dozens more energy leaders representing every major NOC and IOC.
Organized by WPC Energy — a UN-accredited NGO with charitable status in the United Kingdom — in partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Energy, the Congress provides a neutral, non-political platform that has shaped global energy dialogue for nearly a century. This is only the second time the WPC Energy Congress is hosted in the Middle East (the first being Doha 2011), making Riyadh 2026 a defining moment for the region's role in the global energy transition.
For ministers, CEOs, investors, engineers, academics, and international media, the 25th WPC Energy Congress is the unmissable event of the global energy calendar — five days that will reshape how the world powers its future.
