Kazakhstan, Astana, Oct. 7 / Trend D. Mukhtarov /
Kazakhstan has strong contenders for hosting the 22nd World Petroleum Congress, but, nevertheless, it has a chance of winning, senior vice-president of the World Petroleum Council, Olajterv Engineering Group executive chairman Jozsef Toth said.
"Kazakhstan has strong contenders for hosting the 22nd I World Petroleum Congress, but, nevertheless, it has a chance of winning," Toth told media on the sidelines of the round table on "Local Content Development - international experience and best practice" held within the eighth Eurasian Forum KAZENERGY on Monday. "The competition is very strong. This is akin to the struggle for the right to host the Olympic Games."
He recalled that the winner will be determined by the secret ballot. The results will be announced within the Youth Oil Forum in the Canadian city of Calgary on October 23, 2013.
"All candidates have interesting applications," he said. "We will know about the winner soon."
It was previously reported that Astana claims to host the 22nd World Petroleum Congress (WPC).
Kazakhstan made a bid in early 2013 to host the WPC. Astana's rivals are Houston (USA), Istanbul (Turkey) and Copenhagen (Denmark). A winner will be determined by secret ballot. The results will be announced in Calgary (Canada) on October 23, 2013.
The Kazakh government has made a decision this summer to combine the 22nd World Petroleum Congress (WPC) and the World Specialized Exhibition EXPO-2017, which will start in Astana in July 2017.
World Petroleum Congress (WPC) is the most important event in the oil and gas industry, which has been held by the Council of the World Petroleum Congress since 1933. The forum, which is held every three years, brings together a very respectable audience.
The number of its participants reaches 4,000-5,000 people, and these, first of all, are the key figures of the global oil and gas sector, from among the leaders of industry ministries of WPC member states, the heads of the leading companies.
It should be reminded that such well-known companies as ABB, General Electric, Siemens, Honeywall, Saudi Aramco, Petrobras, CNPC, Sonatrach, Gazprom, Lukoil , BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, PDVSA, Schlumberger, Shell, Total, Qatar Petroleum are the regular participants of the WPC.
Kazakhstan has long been preparing to enter into this prestigious and authoritative oil community.
In summer 2008 the country joined the World Petroleum Council. There were a lot of reasons for this. First of all these are promising oil and gas reserves.
Thus, according to official statistics, the proven reserves of hydrocarbons in Kazakhstan, both onshore and offshore, are estimated at five billion tons, or more than 35 billion barrels, and gas - three trillion cubic meters. This is two percent of the world's reserves of 'black gold' and 1.3 percent of world gas reserves.
Year after year, the republic has been steadily increasing production of 'black gold'.
As of late 2012 the country became the 18th oil producer in the world (1,605,900 barrels a day).
Over 90 percent of Kazakhstan's oil reserves are concentrated in such fields as Tengiz, Kashagan, Karachaganak, Uzen and others.
The world's largest energy companies such as ExxonMobil, Eni, Shell, Total are operating in Kazakhstan.
