The World Energy Council is the principal impartial network of leaders and practitioners promoting an affordable, stable and environmentally sensitive energy system for the greatest benefit of all.
Formed in 1923, the Council is the UN-accredited global energy body, representing the entire energy spectrum, with more than 3000 member organisations located in over 90 countries and drawn from governments, private and state corporations, academia, NGOs and energy-related stakeholders.
The World Energy Council informs global, regional and national energy strategies by hosting high-level events, publishing authoritative studies, and working through its extensive member network to facilitate the world’s energy policy dialogue.
Since it was created in 1923, when visionary Daniel Dunlop brought together 40 countries to discuss the problems facing the global energy industry, the World Energy Council has been non-governmental and non-commercial. Founded in the aftermath of war, it has withstood many changes, from geopolitical and economic upheavals to a complete shift in the way people understand and use energy. It has had to adapt to a changing world without ever straying from the initial concept of an organisation that is impartial, objective and realistic in its analyses and in its agendas for action in order to promote sustainable energy for all.
Today, the World Energy Council has almost 100 national member committees, and its member list includes governments, businesses and expert organisations. The World Energy Congress, held over 20 times since the World Energy Council’s founding, is recognised as the world’s premier energy gathering. As we move forward through the 21st century, the World Energy Council continues to grow and expand, building on its long and stable history as one of the key players on the global energy scene.
Activities
Simply put, the World Energy Council is the largest global network of energy leaders and practitioners dedicated to delivering a sustainable energy system for the greatest benefit of all. Originally intended as an organisation to manage a gathering of energy experts, the World Energy Council has evolved into one of the world’s most influential energy organisations.
The World Energy Council continues to deliver on its original goal by organising the world’s largest all-energy event, the World Energy Congress, and undertakes a wide range of activities to help further the vision of a sustainable energy future.
Organizational structure
The World Energy Council is the world’s principal network of energy leaders and practitioners. The organisation has a co-ordinating Secretariat based in London, United Kingdom, under the direction of the Secretary General who reports to the WEC’s board, the Officers Council, under the leadership of an elected Chair.
The key functions of the WEC are guided by the Standing Committees, made up of elected members from across the world. The WEC gathers annually for an Executive Assembly to agree the strategic direction of the organisation.
WEC’s National Member Committee operates independently under a regionalised structure, with elected Regional Vice Chair’s to oversee activities and ensure coordination.
WEC’s funding is devolved to reinforce the organisation’s neutrality.
Work Programme
The World Energy Council has been producing authoritative studies for over 80 years. These studies and the work programme that supports them are recognised around the world as providing high-quality and realistic insights for all aspects of the energy sector. The insights are used by governments, intergovernmental organisations, non-governmental organisations, corporations and consultancies to guide energy strategies. Wherever possible, the WEC is committed to making these studies available at no cost as a contribution to the common good and to encourage knowledge transfer.
The World Energy Council’s main work programme produces Strategic Insights in the form of regular reports that seek to understand what is happening in the entire energy sector and to provide solutions for a more sustainable energy system. This includes the following studies:
- World Energy Resources
- World Energy Trilemma
- World Energy Issues Monitor
- World Energy Scenarios
Their sector- or issue-specific World Energy Perspectives provide for outcome-oriented work, while Global and Regional Agendas provide a platform for collaborative dialogue.
