Letter from Rotterdam: Oil and gas go AWOL
With just a small presence from the oil and gas industry, the World Energy Council’s biennial congress gave a stark reminder of Europe’s energy priorities
The World Energy Council held its 26th congress in April this year in Rotterdam, almost a hundred years after the organisation convened its first conference. However, some very prominent oil and gas companies were conspicuous in their absence this year. All the energy doublespeak was focused on emissions abatement and carbon neutrality goals. There was little or no acknowledgement of the energy shocks of the last few years, even though the last Congress—the 25th—had been scheduled for St Petersburg in 2022, before being cancelled in the fallout from the Ukraine invasion. Sustainability not security was top of the agenda. Indeed, the panel session speakers seemed to comprise more NGOs than CE
![](/images/white-fade.png)
Also in this section
26 July 2024
Oil majors play it safe amid unfavourable terms in latest oil and gas licensing bid rounds allowing Chinese low-ball moves
25 July 2024
Despite huge efforts by India’s government to accelerate crude production, India’s dependency shows no sign of easing
24 July 2024
Diesel and jet fuel supplies face a timebomb in just four years, and even gasoline may not be immune
23 July 2024
Rosneft’s Arctic megaproject is happening despite sanctions, a lack of foreign investment and OPEC+ restrictions. But it will take a long time for its colossal potential to be realised