Oil and gas kingpins to kick off discussion on the new energy economy at Perth conference

A slew of business and political leaders with connections to the oil and gas industry will be heading to Perth this week for the Australian Energy Producers (AEP) Conference to discuss contemporary issues, including the drive towards net zero emissions.

More than 2,500 delegates and presenters are set to attend the event, which will be held from May 20-23 at the Perth Convention Centre, with this year’s theme being ‘Delivering the New Energy Economy’.

Plenary sessions – of which there will be five across the four days – will include headline speakers from across Australia’s political landscape, including WA Premier Roger Cook, Federal Minister for Resources Madeleine King, former Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove, WA Minister for Energy and Environment Reece Whitby and Shadow Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Senator Susan McDonald.

While some plenary sessions will take the form of conversations with top industry executives – including INPEX Corporation President and Chief Executive Takayuki Ueda, and Shell International Vice President Strategy Insights & Scenarios László Varró – others will be framed as ‘keynote panels’.

Themes of the latter will include ‘Keeping the lights on: Is energy security taken for granted?’ on Tuesday May 21, ‘The rubber hits the road to Net Zero’ on Wednesday May 22, ‘Energy Superpower: Australia’s role in the region’ and ‘Exploring New Frontiers’, both on Thursday May 23.

Speakers on these panels will include Origin Energy CEO Frank Calabria, Woodside CEO and managing director Meg O’Neill, Chevron President of International Exploration and Production Clay Neff, and Shell Australia Senior Vice President Integrated Gas Australia and Country Chair Cecile Wake.

Noted figures from the diplomatic and academic arenas will also be represented, including Minister for Economics and Cultural affairs at the Embassy of Japan in Australia Michiko Miyano, former diplomat and Sir Roland Wilson PhD scholar Helen Mitchell, and Professor Emeritus, UQ Gas and Energy Transition Research Centre Professor Andrew Garnett.

Alongside the conference will be an exhibition – also at the Convention Centre – featuring companies and industry bodies from across the globe, and additional networking opportunities will be offered at the various conference lunches and a farewell cocktail event on Thursday evening.

Industry body Australian Energy Producers changed its name last September, from APPEA (Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association), under which it was best known as organiser of the conference over more than sixty years.