World Energy Council announces programme for 26th World Energy Congress

WORLD ENERGY COUNCIL ANNOUNCES PROGRAMME FOR 26^TH WORLD ENERGY CONGRESS

London, 10 January 2024: With 100 days until the 26^th World Energy Congress, the World Energy Council is pleased to release the event programme, designed to engage key leaders from across the energy ecosystem and drive action.

To be held in Rotterdam on 22-25 April 2024, the World Energy Congress is set to mark the first major milestone of the global energy ecosystem since the historic COP28, continuing to demonstrate the power of convening and the urgency of action.

Centred around the theme Redesigning Energy for People and Planet, the 2024 programme will explore the breadth and depth of the rapidly evolving energy sector – from shifting technologies and the question of financing to the impact of geopolitics; levers accelerating the energy transition; and the changing needs of energy users.

The programme will revolve around five core topics central to progressing a clean and inclusive energy transition:

• Navigating new energy maps: Bridging the new and emerging realities of global energy transitions
• Refuelling the future: Leveraging a greater mix of energy sources, solutions, and services
• Humanising energy: Engaging people and communities in making global energy transitions happen
• Pathfinding with the world energy trilemma: Connecting energy security, affordability and sustainability
• Closing the gaps: Enabling faster, fairer and more far-reaching energy transitions

Leading the programme will be a truly diverse group of experts from across industry, government and civil society, with over 260 confirmed speakers, 200+ being C-suite. In addition to the first tranche announced in April 2023, additional speakers include:

• Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland; former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Chair of The Elders
• Chantal Zeegers, Vice Mayor for Climate, Building and Housing, City of Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• His Royal Highne​ss Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud, Minister of Energy, Government of Saudi Arabia, Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Member Committee, World Energy Council
• Jim Skea, Chair, Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC)
• Francisco Gomes Neto, President and CEO, Embraer
• Sharbini Suhaili, Group Chief Executive Officer, Sarawak Energy Berhad
• Melina Laboucan-Massim, Founder; Co-founder, Sacred Earth Solar, Indigenous Climate Action
• Danielle Merfeld, EVP and Global Chief Technology Officer, Qcells

The World Energy Congress media partners will bring the full programme of experts and discussions to life. In addition to those previously announced, the World Energy Council is pleased to have confirmed a number of new media partnerships with various global top tier and industry trade publications, including the Financial Times, Denki Shimbun, The National, Energy, Energy Storage Report, Eco-Business and Power Technology. The full list of media partners can be found on the World Energy Congress website.

Angela Wilkinson, Secretary General, World Energy Council, said:

“The depth and breadth of our programme for the 26th World Energy Congress speaks to the increasing diversity in energy systems, the connected challenges in managing orderly energy transitions, and the opportunities for collaborative innovation by involving more people and diverse communities. 

 “Over the last 100 years, our enduring mission and world energy community have coevolved to promote a practical, forward looking impact agenda on energy for people and planet. Our visionary leadership and broad stakeholder networks from across the world will take stock of actions following a historic climate-centric COP28 and showcase ground-breaking advances in making faster, fairer and more far reaching energy transitions happen.  

“The World Energy Congress in Rotterdam is a significant moment for energy transition leaders to show up and scale together.”

The 26^th World Energy Congress will bring together 18,000 attendees, including 7,000 delegates, 70 ministers, C-suite executives, NGOs, experts and academia, entrepreneurs and young energy leaders to reflect on the role of connected energy societies in driving forward global energy transitions.

Registration for the Congress is now open, with a range of options for members and delegates. Register here: https://worldenergycongress.org/rotterdam/registration/.