World Refining Association

In this installment, we are honoured to have the Head of Refinery Asset Management, Energy Evolution and Transformation  g at Eni joining us, along with our Flagship conference's Portfolio Director, Sandil Sanmugam, as we gear up for the 2023 edition.

Together, we delve into the challenges confronting the European Refining industry and anticipate the profound transformations on the horizon in the years ahead.

In this episode, the World Refining Association welcomed two special guests as we build up to ERTC in Berlin in November.

We had Antonio Pietri who is President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AspenTech and Dario Scaffardi, CEO & General Manager of Saras SpA. In a wide-ranging discussion with WRA Portfolio Director, Sandil Sanmugam, we explore the central theme of this year’s ERTC, which is future-proofing refining in uncertain and volatile times. 

This month, we spoke with Pedro and Ashley-Rachelle from Accenture about how they are working with Downstream Oil and Gas clients in response to the Energy Transition.

In this interview, we cover where disruption is coming from, regional differences on energy transition policy, what future downstream value chains look like, the role of digital in reinventing downstream operations and Pedro and Ashley Rachelle will also share their advice on how to re-imagine and future proof your downstream business.

Published on the 18th October 2021

Ahead of ERTC 2021 in Madrid, WRA Director Sandil Sanmugam sat down with Berta Cabello, Repsol’s new Head of Refinery Transformation. Berta’s role epitomises the new underlying challenge for refineries, which is to change and adapt to net-zero ambitions outlined by companies and governments. In a wide-ranging interview Berta shares her views on the return from the pandemic and areas of long-term demand including biofuels.

As part of the WRA Interview Series, we sat down with Alan Gelder, VP Refining, Chemicals & Oil Markets at Wood Mackenzie. We delved into the challenges in the short-medium and long-term for the refining sector. Below are the various timings of where topics have been addressed:

Hear from Kim on how MOL Group is adapting in the short-term to the COVID-19 outbreak including the status of current projects and turnaround schedules, as well as the Group’s long-term vision in the energy transition and which technological developments will hold the key to achieving a competitive edge.

The WRA sat down with Claus-Peter Hälsig, VP Process & Technology at Fluor. Sharing his 35+ years of industry experience we discussed COVID-19, the carbon neutral stance of refiners and the future technologies which will shape the industry in the coming decades.

This year’s ERTC will be held in Madrid and we are delighted to share our interview with Antonio Joyanes, SVP for Refining at CEPSA. So whilst you wait till November, Antonio shares how CEPSA has gained a competitive advantage despite the COVID-19 outbreak, digitalisation and the potential of technologies which can be considered with tight budgets.

For this edition of the WRA interview we sat down with Bashir Dabbousi, Director of Technology Strategy & Planning at Saudi Aramco. Saudi Aramco is one of, if not, the most recognised oil producer in the world and it was great to explore their plans in curbing emissions and embrace new technologies especially Crude to Chemicals, Non-Metallics, Low Emission Transportation, Hydrogen and CCUS.

In the latest WRA Interview, we sat down with John Gugel, President & CEO of Honeywell UOP. In this wide-ranging interview, we spoke about how COVID-19 has given the opportunity for refiners to rationalise their portfolios and refocus their strategies towards stronger assets. We also explored the potential of CO2 reduction through taxation and carbon pricing to create a sustainable long-term business.

The World Refining Association sat down with John Cooper, Director General of FuelsEurope and Concawe to discuss the regulatory landscape for refining out to 2030. In a wide-ranging discussion we explored the new climate targets from the Biden administration, alternative fuels production, policy updates including REDII, sustainable financing for refining and the role of hydrogen. Enjoy!