New Countries Join World Energy Congress

Tajikstan and Columbia have been welcomed into the World Energy Congress (WEC) by the Executive Assembly this week at the same time as a new executive chair was appointed for the non-governmental organisation.

CEO of French utility Electricite de France Pierre Gadonneix will take over from Andrew Caille, who has stepped down from the WEC.

The WEC says both new nations and the CEO join the global energy body at the start of its new project cycle, which will include a global assessment of new mega-cities and their use of energy, among a range of factors.

The 21st Survey of Energy Resources will look at powerplant performance and best practice in operations in maintenance and power plant availabilty.

Manpower, manufacturing capacity, water availability, and infrastrucure in these megacities will also be assessed as part of a larger plan to look at developing an International Standards Office that will look at developing global standards for biofuels.

WEC Secretary General Gerald Doucet says that, given the urgent need for such a report, the industry may not have to wait out the whole three-year cycle to see the body's analyis.

The WEC will also work to recruit new member nations, particularly in the Persian Gulf and Central Asia, where energy issues run high on the agenda.

By staff writer