Momentum Builds for 23rd World Energy Congress

With just 100 days to go until the 23rd World Energy Congress takes place in Istanbul, the 250th world class speaker has been confirmed. In addition, leading business network CNBC has been announced as the official business media partner for what is regarded as the most influential and inclusive gathering of senior leaders from all segments of the energy community. 

The latest speakers to be confirmed are from two of the major geographies in world energy, Russia and China: Sergey Kirienko, Chief Operating Officer of Russia’s Rosatom and Jinhang Chen, Chairman of the China Datang Corporation. This underlines the importance of this event in shaping the future of the global energy landscape at a time when the industry is at a crucial transition. 

The 250 speakers now confirmed to feature at the World Energy Congress between 9 and 13 October come from 81 countries and include over 40 government ministers including Baake Rainer, Germany’s State Secretary for Economic Affairs and Energy, and Prince Albert II of Monaco. 

This year’s event will witness senior representatives from Saudi Aramco, BP, OPEC, ENI, OMV, Gazprom, SOCAR and Total, among others, discussing the implications of the commodity price storm. Speakers from top energy innovators such as Econet, Silver Spring, TTTech, GE, Mobisol and Off-Grid Electric are also signed up. Appearing alongside these business names will be energy leaders such as Fatih Birol from the IEA and Christina Figueres from the UNFCCC. 

Up to 10,000 delegates from around the world will be welcomed to the 23rd World Energy Congress in the historic city of Istanbul by His Excellency (H.E) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of the Republic of Turkey. The president’s official involvement also entails collaboration with various Turkish public authorities including the Ministry of Energy as the host, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a facilitator and the Ministry of Interior to ensure security. 

Over four days, the programme for the Congress will explore the critical priorities facing the energy industry today including of resilience, business models, governance, climate, financing and market dynamics. Christoph Frei, Secretary General, World Energy Council commented: “The 2016 World Energy Congress is the event which will define the future direction of the energy industry. It will actively embrace the new frontiers of the sector. We will look at the Jazz and Symphony models of energy markets. We will explore the importance of innovative business models and the commodity price storm. The calibre and range of speakers is reflective of the priorities which we have outlined.” 

Hasan Murat Mercan, President of the Turkish Member Committee, World Energy Council commented: “CNBC is one of the world’s most respected outlets for business news. Securing a partnership with CNBC as the official international business media sponsor of the World Energy Congress underlines the significance of the event with its globally relevant speakers and world class sponsors.” 

Finola McDonnell, VP Marketing and Communications at CNBC said: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with this event. Energy is a topic of significant interest to our influential audience and we’re looking forward to bringing the 2016 World Energy Congress to our viewers.” 

Media registration for the Congress is now open, giving industry journalists an opportunity to meet energy leaders, and report on the next stages of developing a sustainable energy market.