At a time when the United Nations (UN) will hold a summit next week on climate ambition which will emphasize the urgency of moving away from fossil fuels, Canada will host the “World Petroleum Congress”. The Trudeau government confirmed Duty that three ministers will participate in this event of which the federal government is a “partner” and which will bring together all the major oil multinationals on the planet.
The event organized by the World Petroleum Council Canada will take place in Calgary from September 17 to 21 on the theme “ Energy Transition: The Path to Net Zero », which can be translated as “Energy transition: the path to carbon neutrality”. This 24e World Oil Congress, which will also bring together gas companies, presents itself as “an important bridge between the traditional energy sector and an industry expected to become more carbon neutral over the next 25 years”, we can read on the World Oil Congress website. ‘event.
Unlike the climate ambition summit scheduled for September 20 in New York at the invitation of UN Secretary General António Guterres, there will be no question of making commitments in favor of phasing out fossil fuels, as climate scientists have been calling for it for several years.
The event will instead give the floor to leaders and representatives of the largest fossil fuel operators on the planet, including Aramco, TotalEnergies, BP, ExxonMobil, Petronas, Suncor, CNPC, Chevron, Pemex, Cenovus, Equinor (Bay project of North), Enbridge and Petrobas. The New Pathways Alliance, which represents the oil sands industry, is expected to have 24 representatives on site.
An oil company in the spotlight
Political or business representatives from authoritarian or dictatorial regimes will take part in this summit: Iran, Qatar, Oman, China, Kazakhstan, Bahrain, Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia, where the next one will be held Congress, in 2026.
This congress will also be an opportunity to present an award recognizing “remarkable achievements” in the oil and gas sector to Amin Hassan Naser, who is the president and general manager of the Saudi oil company Aramco, the largest oil producer in the world. The multinational plans to increase its gas production by 50% by 2030, but also to increase its oil production to 13 million barrels per day by 2027 (4.7 billion barrels per year).
Aramco was recently criticized by UN experts due to the climate repercussions of its activities, which would be “contrary to the objectives, obligations and commitments of the Paris Agreement”, aimed at limiting the increase in temperature global average at 1.5°C.
Canada “partner”
The Government of Canada is listed as a “partner” of this conference dedicated to the role of fossil fuels in the energy “transition”. It will also be well represented during the event, according to information emerging from the most recent official list of participants.
Global Affairs Canada will have the largest delegation, with 14 representatives on site. The departments Infrastructure Canada and Canada Economic Development for the Prairies will also be present, not forgetting the Canada Infrastructure Bank, a federal Crown corporation, as well as eight Canadian embassies, including those in China, Kuwait and Qatar.
Canada will also be one of the “exhibitors”, with the “Canada House”, which will offer a showcase to the companies present on site. “Canada sessions” are also on the conference program, in particular to address the development of carbon capture and storage, an experimental technology dear to the industry.
Three ministers
A total of three ministers from the Trudeau government will take part in this World Petroleum Congress, including Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. Is oil a transition energy? “We fully recognize that the transition towards abandoning the combustion of fossil fuel sources will take place over the coming years, on the path to carbon neutrality by 2050,” said his office, in a written response .
Demand for oil and gas is expected to decline, the minister’s office also argued. “An aggressive reduction in emissions from the oil and gas sector is necessary for the competitiveness of the sector and the health of our planet,” it was emphasized, reiterating the government’s promise to present this year “a draft regulation aimed at cap emissions from the oil and gas sector at the pace and scale needed to achieve carbon neutrality.”
Last year, in a written response to a question from the Conservative Party of Canada, Minister Wilkinson argued that the transition “can be accomplished without abandoning Canada’s oil and gas sector.” He cited as an example the “carbon neutrality” commitment made by tar sands oil producers. “Climate change is not due to fossil fuels, but to greenhouse gas emissions associated with their production and combustion,” he said.
The Minister of Labor, Seamus O’Regan, indicates for his part that his participation in the congress is part of a desire to support the “workers” of the industry, who “are the only ones who know how to reduce emissions and develop renewable energies”.
During a speech delivered to an audience of representatives of the energy sector on May 31, Minister O’Regan praised the shortening of the deadlines within which exploration projects are evaluated as well as the approval of the Bay du Nord project. “Don’t tell me the green economy excludes oil and gas. A sustainable future requires an energy mix,” he stressed.
As for the office of the Minister of Employment and Workforce Development, Randy Boissonnault, he emphasizes that the oil and gas industry remains “a key sector of the Canadian economy”, particularly in Alberta. In this context, the minister considers it important to meet with business leaders in order to discuss, in particular, ways to “reduce emissions” of greenhouse gases.