A decision to hold an international youth conference of the World Petroleum Council (WPC) in Saint-Petersburg has fully served its purpose. This is the opinion of the CEO of the organization Pierce Riemer, which he stated once having familiarized himself with the Mining University infrastructure.
The delegation of the WPC came to Saint-Petersburg on the 22nd of August. The working trip’s primary purpose was to have a look at the university facilities, as the Mining University is expected to become a venue for the Forum of the future oil and gas industry leaders. The Forum takes place once in three years in one of the 70 countries, which form the WPC.
Unlike the OPEC, which is targeted at taking control of the oil extraction quotas, and therefore oil prices, the WPC is a non-profit association. Its aim is to assist in implementing scientific and technological innovations for the manufacturing purposes, developing management systems in the petroleum industry and improving quality of the field-specific education. There is also one more mission – serve as a playground for discussing industry-related problems as well as possible solutions. These activities are supposed to help in achieving Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN. Besides, they should also foster more efficient use of hydrocarbons.
First meeting of the World Petroleum Council took place in 1933 in London. Since then the WPC headquarters is located in the capital of Great Britain. First Forum of the future industry leaders was held well after the first congress, only in 2004. In 2019 it will be the sixth meeting of the Forum, when over 2000 participants from seventy countries come to Saint-Petersburg. These are both students and postgraduates, along with the young specialists working in the oil extracting and processing companies.
«I would like to thank Saint-Petersburg for hospitality. We had a chance to get acquainted with the Mining University infrastructure and have a look at its facilities. No other opinion is possible – the University’s capabilities are fantastic! An amazing museum and labs are more than impressive. The Congress hall is magnificent. We believe that the Forum participants will be glad to visit the city and will happily share their experiences in solving strategic oil industry-related problems. It is also a great opportunity to establish contacts with each other», as Pierce Riemer noted.
In the meeting with Vladimir Litvinenko, a Principal of the Mining University, Pierce Riemer said that Saint-Petersburg had been chosen as a venue for holding a Forum of the future leaders at the XXII Congress of the WPC in Istanbul. This decision was also supported by Russian National Committee of the World Petroleum Council.
