History

The Organisation

The World Petroleum Council was founded in London in 1933. It provides a forum for discussing the issues facing the oil industry on a worldwide basis and is strictly non-political. The WPC is dedicated to the application of scientific advances in the oil and gas industries, to technology transfer and to the use of the world's petroleum resources for the benefit of mankind. The WPC's 61 member countries represent over 90% of the worlds major oil and gas producing and consuming nations of the world. Each country has a national committee made up from representatives of the oil and gas industry, academia and research institutions and government departments. Attendance at WPC Congresses is open to all and over 90 countries are usually represented. The Congresses held regularly over the last 65 years have traditionally covered all aspects of the industry from exploration to downstream activities. More recently these topic have been expanded to include petroleum finance, management and environmental issues.