Published : Oct. 13, 2013 - 20:35
Pierre Gadonneix, chairman of the World Energy Council, delivers a congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony for the 22nd World Energy Congress in Daegu on Sunday. (Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald)
The 22nd World Energy Congress kicked off on Sunday for a five-day run at the EXCO in Daegu to discuss the future of energy and related challenges.
About 200 government ministers, CEOs and experts plan to address about 5,000 delegates across the world about pressing issues facing the global energy industry, according to organizers.
“Under the theme of ‘Securing Tomorrow’s Energy Today,’ I expect that the congress will look at global energy trends and diagnose challenges and so help global energy leaders to draw an agreement on what are today’s pending issues for a sustainable energy future,” Pierre Gadonneix, chair of the World Energy Council, the host of the WEC, said in his opening remarks.
Cho Hwan-eik, chair of the 22nd WEC Organizing Committee, one of the co-hosts of the event, highlighted the meaning of the WEC being hosted in Asia.
“It is all the more meaningful for Korea to host this event representing Asia, which is the world’s most dynamic energy market today,” Korea Electricity Power Corp. CEO Cho said in his congratulatory remarks. The Korea Herald is participating in the event as an official media partner.
The London-based council also stressed that the regional center of gravity was moving from Europe to Asia, highlighting the role of the region in overcoming global energy challenges.
Representing the host country, Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won asked global leaders to expand cooperation and to take action together in order to tackle energy issues at a time when they have become an important part of the global agenda, while anticipating the successful hosting of the WEC in Daegu.
According to the Korean organizing committee, the triennial Congress in Daegu is expected to be the biggest one in its history based on registration numbers.
“We are expecting about 7,000 participants to come to the event, including 6,000 delegates from 140 countries, including energy ministers, government officials, and representatives of energy companies, international organizations and academia,” Cho said.
From today, the congress will launch an energy forum, including a series of keynote speeches by energy ministers and industry leaders, conferences and roundtables under a daily theme.
On day one, under the theme “Vision and Scenarios for the Future,” Saudi Aramco CEO Khalid A. Al-Falih will deliver a keynote speech on the future of oil in the morning session. In the afternoon, there is a face-to-face talk session, run by Tokyo-based TEPCO, on the review of the 2011 Fukushima accident and nuclear challenges in the post-Fukushima era.
By Seo Jee-yeon (
jyseo@heraldcorop.com)