The 18th WPC held in Johannesburg, South Africa September 25th to 29th, 2005 was the first held on the African continent. South Africa does not produce much conventional oil and gas but it is a leader in producing synthetic fuels from coal and gas and has outstanding Congress facilities. The Congress was hosted by Petro SA, the National Oil Company of South Africa, and co-hosted by the four largest oil and gas producing countries in Africa: Algeria, Angola, Libya, and Nigeria. Sponsoring assistance was also provided by a large number of private sector companies.

The hosting program was developed under the direction of the Chairman of the South African National Committee for the WPC, Mr. Ayanda Mjekula, and the Chairperson of the 18th Congress Organizing Committee, Mr. Sejamothopo Motau. The program was developed with the theme of Shaping the Energy Future: Partners in Sustainable Solutions.

The program comprised about 350 presentations in over 60 sessions including 20 round table discussions. These presentations addressed topics ranging from exploration through production and processing to petrochemicals. They considered technological developments and many industry issues such as health, safety, the environment, supply and demand, and profitability. The sessions were complemented by technical visits, pre-and post-congress tours, an accompanying persons program, and a social program. Preprints of the papers were provided to delegates on a CD.

The accompanying South African International Oil and Gas Exhibition included over 400 exhibitors and 15,000 square feet of exhibition space. The Congress was attended by about 3500 delegates, 400 reporters, and 500 accompanying persons. Over 20 Canadians served as session officers or authors and a total of about 100 Canadians attended the Congress and exhibition.

During the Congress, Dr. Randy Gossen, a Vice President of Nexen Inc., was elected President of the WPC for the 19th Congress cycle. Another Canadian, Jim McFarland, of Verenex Energy Inc., was one of eight people elected to serve in the Congress Program Committee which will co-ordinate the development of the 19th WPC Sessions Program under Committee chairman, Dr. Renato Bertani of Brazil. That Congress will be held in Madrid June 29 to July 3rd, 2008. Two Canadian companies received Excellence Awards. These comprised a Technical Development Award received by EnCana for its "Drilling Waste Management System" and a Social Responsibility Award received by Nexen Inc. for "Building a Community of Trust in Zones of Conflict".

The Canadian Booth, which was prominently branded as Canadian and was one of nine recognized, received a Bronze Award. It was one of the busiest in the Exhibition. The booth included large videos featuring images of Canada and its oil and gas operations and access to the interactive multimedia CD highlighting features of the Canadian industry. The CD was developed jointly by Industry Canada, the CAWPC, the Alberta Department of Economic Development, and other participating government and industry organizations (see Canadian Technology link). On line and hard copy access was provided to Nickle's Oil and Gas Directory and the Canadian Centre for Energy Information's (CCEI) data base. These services elaborated on the Canadian oil and gas industry with the CCEI also providing information on other sectors of the Canadian energy industry.

Thanks are extended to the many organizations and individuals which contributed to the success of the 18th WPC Joint Industry-Government Business Development Program. The sponsors of the program are shown herewith by sponsorship category along with an artist's conception of the joint Canadian 18th WPC booth. The sponsor and associate members of the Canadian Association for the WPC are listed in the section of this website under Canadian Association.

In addition to the booth, the Canadian program included a networking reception held in a large tent in Mandela Square. Mandela Square is near the Congress Centre and the major hotels which housed most WPC delegates. Unfortunately, the reception had to be abbreviated due to the fiercest gale force winds to hit Johannesburg in over a decade. By the time the storm arrived, some 250 invited guests had joined the reception. Many of the guests continued their networking with Canadians in the many restaurants and bars which adjoin Mandela Square.

Gold Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

Friends

Back to Upcoming / Recent CONGRESSES / Back to Top